I Love You: But Hate What You Are
by Alexex
Summary: "For the last time, Lindsay and I are just friends." "Are you friends with benefits?" "WHAT?" / "Road rage much, Court?" "Why the hell would he brake like that in the middle of the street, ugh!" -Trentney and Gigette.
1. Dirty, Filthy, Traitors

I am in the randomest mood right now, so here's what my scattered brain came up with at this particular moment in time. Another Trentney oneshot! YAY! Though, if you like it, it could be made into a story. We'll see how I feel. ;) By the way, thanks to all who've read and reviewed Broken Strings And Breaking Some New Ones. Your reviews touch my heart. :')

* * *

Daring green eyes bored into skeptic onyx ones; each of them clouded over with haze, and more lust than they'd care to admit. Both of their breathing was rather choppy and uneven, as they tried to regain the oxygen they both lacked a few minutes prior.

Tension seemed to cloud over the two panting teens.

Mocha skinned creamy fingers flew up to disheveled brown hair; fingers that were previously roaming the well toned body of a handsome stranger. They combed through her knotted bangs, as her other hands smoothed down the odd bits of hair sticking out of her previously perfect and slick French braid.

Turtle green eyes darted around cautiously, occasionally meeting onyx ones. His eyes traveled to the floor, as he adjusted and tightened his loosened green and black plaid tie. He avoided her intense gaze to the best of his ability as he began to button up the buttons of his linen dress shirt that carried the crest of a gladiator on the left chest pocket. He cleared his throat lifting his stare off of the floor, and into deep pools of obsidian, as he pushed some of his raven black bangs out of his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I… I never got your name…"

"Like I would tell _you, Easterner,_" The girl spat, as if the words were venom and she were a viper poisoning its helpless prey. The once lust filled and unfocused onyx eyes had been replaced with a glare as cold as ice. Her eyes narrowed further as she wiped her bruised lips with the back of her hand, trying to remove the lingering taste of the boy who stood before her.

"I don't even know how I fell for this…this trap! _Especially_ one as obvious as this one."

The raven-haired male scoffed and rolled his eyes. He crossed his arms across his chest as the mocha-skinned brunette did the same. Their narrowed eyes met, competing in a glaring contest, before the boy spoke up.

"Why must _all _Westerners be such paranoid pompous fools…? Especially one as cute as you." He said, a light smirk playing on his equally as bruised lips. Light mango-lip gloss marks shimmered off the dim lights of the closet the two teens were currently situated in, as he spoke.

A faint blush found its way forming on the brunette's face, but she quickly substituted her vacant stare with an irritated scowl. She rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her uniformed chest; her left arm blocking the red and black eagle crest on the chest pocket of her polo.

"Oh, shut it." Courtney huffed, as his smug smile grew slightly. She sent another fierce glare in his direction, though he remained unfazed by her hostility. "I don't even know _why _I'm still here; I mean, I _hate _you!"

"Now, now, Westerner…" Trent cooed, mockingly.

"Ugh!" She huffed, before turning away and adjusting her red and black plaid mini-skirt, as the boy approached her. She scooted away, only to be pursued further. She grunted before trying to move farther away only to be met with the wall of the seemingly smaller closet. She huffed narrowing her eyes further, before shooting him another hateful glare.

"Get away from me!"

"…And if I don't?" He challenged.

The brunette's glare deepened considerably, before she turned back to the turtle green eyed male. She looked up to him, before jabbing him in the chest with her glossy manicured finger.

"I will sue you _faster_ than you know what _hit_ you, Easterner. Now, outta my _way._" She grumbled, shoving him to the side. Courtney picked up her purse and searched the floor for any displaced items. She sighed when she couldn't find anything, before she stood back up, meeting piercing green eyes once more. Courtney couldn't help but feel her harsh gaze lessen in intensity faintly. She quickly deepened her glare, before turning to leave and wash her hands clean of any emotion and passion she felt while kissing this person who obviously could not have felt the same.

He couldn't have. After all, he was just some Easterner; and all Easterners were incapable of love. They were just lying, cheating, asses. Bottom line. And she couldn't help but feel _dirty- _downright _grungy _kissing one of her sworn rivals. Though there in black and green, was the person- the person who made her feel so _free _and _cared for- _stood. Someone she knew she couldn't, and wouldn't love. Attraction meant nothing.

"Wait!"

She turned back to face him, plastering on the nastiest glare she could, in hopes of getting him to stop staring at her in such a way that made her heart flutter whenever his gorgeous eyes gazed upon her.

"How…I…why me?" He asked, softly.

The brunette's perfectly waxed brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?" She asked, for once, her voice not laced with hatred and enmity.

He looked down into her eyes and sighed. "You're head cheerleader. You're extremely attractive, and assertive." He stated, watching as her expression softened. Their eyes searched for each others, and they flickered once they connected.

"You could've had _any _guy you wanted, yet you chose _me._ Why?"

She stalked over to him, as her eyes narrowed dangerously into slits. She grabbed his collar with a grip so tight it loosened the stitching.

He felt his eyes widen slightly, as his heart began to race despite how much he knew it was wrong to feel this way. About a _Westerner_, no doubt. All Westerners were abrasive, bitchy, liars. Bottom line. The raven haired male stayed silent as he waited for his current object of affection to respond to his question; though if she didn't, he didn't mind at all. He could spend hours looking into her dark eyes of fire. He could spend _days _taking in her sweet sent of strawberries and vanilla. His expression softened when he realized he'd probably never see her again; and it was probably for the best, anyway. Westerners were _always_ nothing but trouble.

"Maybe I chose _you, _because I _wanted _to…" Courtney whispered huskily, before hungrily meeting his lips with her own. She tried to ignore the jolt of passion that went through her body, but it felt too damn _good. _Her eyes fluttered close as her hands traveled to his thick black hair, grabbing fistfuls of it and tugging it hungrily.

Trent's heart skipped a beat, as he wrapped his arms around her waist bringing her as close to him as he could. His green eyes opened as he pulled away reluctantly, earning a tiny scowl from the mocha skinned brunette up against his body.

"I want your name, gorgeous." He said, looking directly into her eyes.

"It's…it's Courtney." She replied, struggling to find her voice.

"Mine's Trent…"

"Okay, enough with the formalities, Easterner; just shut up and kiss me already!" Courtney smirked, cupping his face and closing the distance between their lips. Trent eagerly kissed back, beginning to rub small circles into the small of her back. Courtney rested her hands on his shoulders before trapping him against the wall- which he didn't mind. Her hands traveled down, as she traced random patterns with her fingers. Her fingers landed on the buttons, before she began to undo them.

Trent pulled away and started to nip at and kiss the brunette's neck, as she continued to undo the buttons of his shirt. He lightly began to suck her collar bone, as Courtney's eyes widened before they closed slowly as a moan escaped her lips.

"When- will- I- see you again?" Trent asked, between kisses as Courtney aggressively pecked his lips.

"…Never." She murmured, before wrapping his arms around his neck and pressing her lips against his. Trent couldn't but feel a little disheartened, until Courtney lightly began to brush her tongue against his bottom lip. She bit down on it, before sucking on it as her nails dug into his shoulder blades. She pulled away breathlessly, as Trent stared at her equally as breathless. Their chests touched as they heaved up and down, before Courtney regained enough composure to speak.

"Unless… you…meet me back here tomorrow; _alone. _Bring any of your Eastern _pals, _or if this ends up being something fishy, you will regret the day you ever crossed paths with me." She mumbled, narrowing her eyes with warning.

Trent could do nothing but nod mutely.

"I'll be there…"

"Good."

Courtney leaned in and kissed him softly; unlike their previous kisses, it was hot and lustful. It was sweet, caring, and almost reassuring. And before Trent had time to react, it was over. Her onyx eyes cast their gaze downwards, she hugged herself to try and gain more warmth.

Trent's brow furrowed in concern, as he slowly removed his arms from her waist.

"You cold? Here, take my jacket." He murmured, before searching the floor for his leather jacket. Once he found it, he wrapped around her shoulders as her eyes stayed down on the floor. He tentatively placed a hand on her cheek, and pushed some of her bangs out of her eyes. Courtney looked up, and met his green eyes with her slightly widened ones. She blinked as Trent smiled at her, before eying him skeptically.

"You…you're a Easterner… Y-you're not supposed to be this _nice…_" She muttered, quietly.

Trent sighed, and ran a few fingers through his hair before sending her a weak smile.

"Yeah, well I'm also _Trent, _you know. I'm different." He said softly.

Courtney could feel her stomach fill with butterflies as she swallowed the large lump in her throat. She stared deep into his eyes, trying to search for the dishonesty she was sure she'd find. But…she couldn't find any. Her expression softened when she realized it was the first time she'd ever looked into a Easterner's eyes and not been able to sense dishonesty.

Trent glanced down at his watch, before his eyes shot open.

"Crap! I have to go! I…crap, yeah, I've gotta go…." He exclaimed, before scrambling around the closet to find his shoes. He slipped them on hurriedly, before turning to the mocha skinned brunette that stood before him with a distant look on her face.

Trent met her eyes, and sent her an apologetic glance before he sighed. "I really would like to stay, but…yeah… I have to…go." Trent said, awkwardly.

Courtney met his eyes one last time and nodded slowly. "No…it's okay, I understand." She spoke, quietly.

The two stood in silence for a few seconds, before Trent quickly cupped her face and planted a gentle kiss on her lips. He pulled away and stared at her for a few seconds, before pursing his lips and backing up towards the door. Trent sighed, before leaving Courtney alone in the closet.

Her eyes instantly traveled to the floor as she hugged herself; a distant expression returning to her face. She tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear, sighing shakily, as the dirty feeling she felt earlier returning. Courtney slowly pressed two fingers to her still tingling lips, as the dirty feeling heightened.

She was a traitor. A dirty, dirty, traitor.

But how could doing something so terrible, so _wrong, _feel so incredibly right?

Courtney left the closet with many questions and jumbled thoughts circling around in her mixed up mind; especially about the whole Trent situation, and the fact that he was an Easterner.

The thought that he was so sweet, and thoughtful, and handsome, and _compassionate_ never left her mind either; only to be replaced with her mentally cursing, and calling herself a traitor- which she was.

A dirty, _dirty, _traitor.

And the fact that she didn't take off his jacket for the rest of night didn't help the cause, either.

A dirty, _filthy _traitor indeed.

* * *

GRAH I AM SO SORRY THIS SUCKED! BUT IT IS 3 A.M. AND I AM FUCKING TIRED DAMMIT, SO YOU'RE JUST GOING TO HAVE TO DO WITH THIS! Sorry if I accidentally screwed up Trent and Courtney's 'titles' To be clear if there was any confusion- Trent is an Easterner, and Courtney is a Westerner.

I dunno if this should be continued? Thoughts?

No better way to voice those thoughts in a review! Please?

Until the possible next time!

Alexex!


	2. A Worthy Cause

Okay, don't know how, don't know why, but this new fic is getting updated! I actually kind of have a plot circulating in my head…so I'm gonna milk this wave of inspiration for all it's worth! Thanks to all of those who have reviewed! :D

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"Wow, Court, you've been quite out of it today… You, um, okay?"

Courtney's unfocused eyes quickly focused as she was drawn out of her thoughts. Her gaze lifted off of the floor, and into soft olive ones. Courtney sighed before returning her gaze to the ground. A calming, creamy hand was placed on her slightly shaking shoulder.

"Courtney…?"

"What, Bridgette! _What _do you _want!_" Courtney snapped, turning to glare into widened olive eyes. The two stayed like that, as silence enclosed the duo. The one known as Bridgette, sighed and ran a few fingers through her thick golden locks. She pulled at the hem of her red and black plaid uniform skirt, before swinging her legs over the bench of the table her and Courtney were sitting at. She reached into her bag, before pulling out her digital camera, earning a questioning look from the tanned brunette sitting across from her.

"Okay Court, I didn't want it to come to this- and I told myself that last night! I said; 'Bridgette, I sure hope it doesn't come to this!' But damn it Courtney, you drove me to it!" Bridgette exclaimed, turning to face Courtney. She placed the camera on the table, and raised an eyebrow challengingly. Courtney could already feel her stomach drop to her feet, but she ensured no emotion was visible on her face; the normal façade of uncaring.

"You can either tell me now straight up, or I could show you some rather _compromising _photos of you and you can spill afterwards. What'll it be?"

Courtney rolled her eyes, before resting her arms on the table to prop herself up. She sent her friend a weak glare, before pushing some of her hair out of her eyes, and swinging her braid over her shoulder.

"Please, Bridgette. There is absolutely _nothing _to tell." She scoffed.

The blonde narrowed her lazy olive eyes on the brunette, before raising an eyebrow.

"Oh _really, _Courtney?" She challenged, turning on her camera and scrolling through the numerous pictures of her at the beach before landing on the events of yesterday.

Yesterday…

The game of all games. The _party _of all parties.

The semi-final game for the championship basketball match; the match Eastwood Prep had already qualified for, and if Western Heights won, they'd compete against them. Students packed the bleechers- a sea of black, red, and white cheering on their team, as an equally loud wave of sound projected from the other half from girls and boys wearing blue and gold.

Then, there were the odd black, white, and green coloured teens, standing courtside trying to distract and sabotage the Western Heights Mustangs to the best of their ability. They taunted and badmouthed them, but it was proved fruitless as the Mustangs triumphed earning their spot in the championships.

Both the Westerners and the Easterners weren't happy with the outcome; but they _were _happy at the chance to be able to pound the other into the court harshly and the bragging rights to whoever won.

Once the team had finished cheering and congratulating each other, Heather; one of the Westerner cheerleaders, declared the auditorium as party central for the next few hours- and Heather was widely known by all to have legendary parties. Almost worthy of a thumbs up from the senior Easterner Geoff Fields; but he wouldn't waste the effort on a stupid Westerner.

So those deemed worthy of attending by Heather; aka, the fellow cheerleaders, the hot basketball players, the hot football players, the hot hockey players- any guy that was "hot" went to the auditorium, and began to party it up with loud music, kegs, and grinding lines; Heather knew a guy.

Though halfway through the bash, some scumbag Easterners decided they would crash her party; and Heather was _certainly_ not happy about it- although she let it slide, because the guys were kinda…totally hot. Especially a relatively tall, broad shouldered, green eyed male with hair so dark it rivaled her own; she planned on tapping _that _fine ass later.

Too bad a certain tan skinned buxom brunette beat her to it.

Courtney snapped out of her reminiscence of the day prior, before she could arrive at the series of events that led her and…what was his name again? She stared off to the distance as she tried to place a name on the striking face with piercing green eyes. She quickly glanced to Bridgette, who was sucked up in trying to find an incriminating photo from yesterday. Courtney took the opportunity to slide off the jacket she was wearing to glance at the tag; _Trent Smith _was scribbled onto the label, and she couldn't help but snicker to herself.

He still writes his name on his clothing? What a dork.

Well, at least she had a full name if she ever needed to look him up. You know! As a last resort!

Bridgette finally found an incriminating photo, and her face lit up with a light smirk.

"Ahah! Exhibit _A!_" She exclaimed triumphantly, shoving the camera into her friend's face. Courtney jerked backward to avoid having a _camera _slam into her nose, before shooting a short glare to the blonde as she took the camera in her hands; her eyes widening when they landed on the photo.

It was of her and Trent making eye contact the dimly lit auditorium, though she was fortunate that someone else was moving, blocking his tie and crest, and anything else that would identify him as an Easterner.

She moved onto the next photo, which was her and Trent grinding; each of them smiling with half lidded eyes. Courtney's arms were raised in a wild manner as Trent had his arms around her from behind. Because of her position, Courtney had once again blocked anything that could categorize him as an Easterner; luckily for her.

Courtney bit her lip as she looked at the next photo, which was of her and Trent about to kiss; each of them with their eyes closed and an expressionless face. Her arm was blocking his chest, as he had placed a hand on her chin, tilting it upwards.

The final one she saw, was of Trent with his back to the camera; his hair way messier than before, and his clothes had been wrinkled and pulled making them disheveled. Courtney had her legs wrapped around his waist and her arms wrapped around his neck, as Trent held her up by holding her rear. Their eyes were shut and their lips were fervently pressed against each other.

Courtney placed the camera on the table, before meeting the skeptic gaze of Bridgette. Courtney splashed her best hostile and nonchalant expression, before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms across her chest.

"Please… None of these prove a thing." She scoffed.

"_None _of these prove a _thing?_" She repeated, gaping at her friend's unwillingness to share.

"That's what I said, didn't I?" Courtney muttered, narrowing her eyes further as Bridgette's face lit up and she practically fell off her sear in excitement.

"_How _could you not have _told _me!" She squealed, grinning so largely Courtney began to feel slightly uncomfortable. "So, did you guys do it?"

Courtney felt her face flush and blank, before she opened her mouth to respond.

"OH! Did you get his number! You _had _to have gotten his number!" Bridgette cut in, as Courtney irritated scowl returned. She opened her mouth to reply once more, only to be cut off again.

"I mean, he is soooo hot… I saw some stupid Easterner in a tacky cowboy hat making eyes at me, and he had the _nerve _to ask _me _for _my _number! Ugh! As if, even though he _was _super cute. But, he was an Easterner and I would _never _lower my standards so low as if to interact with such East side _scum. _That would be like, double crossing the entire region." Bridgette shuddered. Courtney looked down as the dirty feeling she could've _sworn _she'd gotten rid of returned in the pit of her stomach. She removed her gaze from the floor, before opening her mouth to comment.

"Oooooh does he go to our school? Oh my God! You _have _to introduce us!" Bridgette shrieked, her grin widening once more as she cut in, earning a glare from Courtney.

"UGH! I have to go to cheerleading practice; I'll see you in Chem. class tomorrow ." Courtney mumbled, before grabbing her- _Trent's _jacket, as well as her knapsack. Bridgette frowned as she sent her and apologetic glance. Her olive eyes became softer as Courtney swung her long, toned, and tanned legs off the bench. She huffed as she stood up and began to walk towards the school doors from the outdoor lunch table they decided to chat at afterschool until their respective buses arrived to drive them home.

"Aw, Court, I'm sorry!" She called after her, struggling to fight a grin.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. See you tomorrow." Courtney mumbled, as her scowl deepened.

**~TrAiToR~**

Courtney rolled her eyes at the weak attempts of back handsprings that were being displayed.

"Oh come on, girls! This is _WEAK! _The kids in my C.I.T. camp could do better than this! You girls wanna show those Easterners who's boss?" She shouted, grabbing the attention of the exhausted girls panting and heaving and aching all over.

"U-um… Y-yes?" A meek girl in raven black pigtails squeaked, missing the comfort of her larger BFFFL as Courtney's eyes narrowed dangerously on her curvy figure.

"THEN PUT SOME EFFORT INTO IT!" Courtney yelled, earning cringes from the pathetic losers before her who dared call themselves cheerleaders. She placed a hand on her hip before pointing to the basketball court with narrowed eyes.

"Now all of you, give me ten laps! Come on, let's go, let's go, let's _go!_"

Courtney clapped as if to reinforce her command, as the rest of the girls groaned as they dragged themselves to the rest of the court that had not been covered in mats and began to run.

Courtney rolled her eyes and debated whether or not to add an extra three laps for the attitude, before she sighed and began to stretch out her arms. She raised an eyebrow when she heard a frantic knocking noise, as well as the sound of sneakers connecting with the gym floor, fear, and failure. Her eyes darted towards the gym doors, and nearly jumped out of their sockets when they met familiar piercing green eyes. She glanced to the cheerleaders, who were still distracted with their laps, before she turned back to Trent. He frenetically gestured for her to come over, and she mentally cursed.

She couldn't just _leave _them _alone!_

Courtney turned back to Trent as he continued to mime despite how much he _hated _it, and Courtney quietly groaned and turned towards the girls as they continued to run.

"Uh… Girls, something…came up, and I have to go. Sorry for the inconvenience. Once you finish your laps, perfect those back hand springs or else we're doing _wind sprints _until you _PUKE!_ Heather's in charge until I come back!" Courtney called over her shoulder, as she grabbed her things and started to jog towards the door.

Heather's face lightened up light the first of July, before she smirked and placed her hands on her narrow hips superiorly.

"Alright whore wannabes, listen up!" She shouted, earning groans and eye rolls from the rest of the cheerleaders. They'd prefer Courtney's bossiness to Heather's meanness any day.

Courtney swung open the gym door before sending an irritated livid glare to Trent.

"Uhm, hi… I-ow!" Trent stuttered, before his eyes widened in pain as creamy mocha-coloured fingers clamped down on his left ear. Courtney began to pull him down the hall as her scowl deepened, and Trent's cries of pain continued.

Once they were somewhere where she was positive no one could see them, Courtney let go of Trent's now red ear and narrowed her eyes and crossed her arms.

"What are you _doing _here! Someone could've seen you!" She hissed through gritted teeth, as her eyes darted around keeping watch for any on lookers, even though she was sure no one could see them in their spot behind the vending machines.

"Ow… Trust me, no one saw me! I made sure of it!" Trent whispered back, rubbing his tender ear with slightly narrowed green eyes.

"Urgh…!" Courtney huffed, rolling her onyx eyes. She shifted her weight before looking up into his eyes with softer ones.

Trent's expression softened as his arm fell to his side. He bit his lip, and sent her a weak smile.

"Hey…you um, look great." He mumbled.

Courtney felt her cheeks begin to turn pink as she tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Uh… thanks…" She replied, although it came out more like a question. She'd never really gotten a compliment before; the closet thing she's gotten has been 'Hey there hotstuff; nice ass' from a perverted Neanderthal with a lime green mohawk.

"So… I see you like my jacket." He remarked idly, smirking.

Courtney's eyes shot downward, landing on the jacket she'd grown quite fond of over night. She forced a scowl despite the smile that desperately wanted to appear on her lips. She shoved his chest making him stumble backwards a bit. He reached out to grab something to try and regain his balance, which happened to be Courtney's hands, making her stumble forwards into his chest.

"Gah! Hey…" He exclaimed, before the second half of his sentence trailed off as his expression softened when his eyes met Courtney's wide obsidian ones.

The two stood there in apprehensive silence; Trent's hands not letting go of Courtney's- not that she subconsciously minded. Neither knew who was the first to initiate the kiss, but all they knew was that it ignited a proverbial mind-blowing spark of passion they both knew had never left. Courtney's arms wrapped around his neck, as he tilted her chin upwards deepening the kiss.

Courtney grudgingly pulled away, as her lips tingled from the sensation of pressing kissing the green-eyed male. Her eyes flutter in a way that made Trent's heart flutter in a similar manner.

"I…I um…wow…" Was all Trent could form, before he warily rubbed the back of his neck.

"I want to see you again." Courtney said, crossing her arms behind her back as her eyes cast a gaze downwards. "But…I…how long will we be able to keep this up? Before anyone finds out, I mean; if anyone found out…we'd… It would be horrible." She stammered, keeping her eyes one the floor as her heart rate sped up.

"I know…but I won't let that happen to you." He murmured, taking her in his arms reassuringly. She relaxed into his touch contrary to yesterday when she was too tense and aroused to take in the gentleness of things. He calming stroked her glossy hair, before Courtney looked up and met his eyes with her onyx ones. She placed a tender kiss on the corner of his mouth, earning a smile from the boy who so gently held her in his arms; as if she were a porcelain doll, and if he were too rough with her, he might break her.

"Not that I'm not enjoying this, but I should go… The girls will be helpless without my _expert _coaching skills." Courtney sighed, pushing her bangs out of her eyes; and felt shivers go down her spine when her fingers accidentally brushed Trent's as he continued to soothingly stroke her hair. She looked up into his turtle green eyes before silently stepping out of his embrace.

"Bye…" She whispered, before turning to leave. Courtney stopped in her tracked, before walking back over to Trent and grabbing his arm. She shoved up his sleeve as he raised an eyebrow confusedly. She opened up her bag and pulled out a marker. Courtney quickly scribbled down her cell phone number down on his arm, taking what an olive green eyed blonde advised to heart. She put the lid back on the marker and put it in her bag, before locking gazes with Trent; both of their hearts racing more than they tended to lead on.

Courtney started to walk towards the empty hallway before she turned back to face Trent.

"Call me." She murmured. He pulled his sleeve back down, before nodding wordlessly. Courtney pursed her lips before a light smirk appeared on them.

"Okay, now get out of here you big idiot, before someone sees you!" She hissed; albeit with a lot less venom than he was used to. She sent him a wink, before disappearing down the hall without a sound.

Trent looked after her, a smile appearing on his lips.

He may have been a traitor, but at least it was for a worthy cause.

* * *

Are you happy? Are you FREAKING happy? Thanks to all of you, I just stayed up until four a.m. writing this chapter! So, if there are more noticeable mistakes, I apologize.

Yeah…so I'm gonna go crash now… Please review, and I hope you liked it! I don't know why, but I seem to have a lot formulating for a plot on this. And it just came right out of the freaking blue!

So yeah, please review!

~Alexex


	3. Luck Is About To Run Out

Another update! I know! Sigh… School on Monday… Ick. That means work, and leaving my cave- I mean, bedroom. Heehee, thanks guys for all your reviews, except for DaCoolStoryBro. That kinda ruined my mood and by the way, you still haven't PMed me back you coward. What're you waiting for, huh? And your list is incredibly stupid by the way, not that you don't know that after all the flames you got. That'll teach you to diss my sweet Trent! Anyway, back on the topic of the story; I hope you're enjoying it!

* * *

Why was this so _hard? _

Where was the cool, calm, and collected Trent that made girls melt at his soothing, warm, tenor voice? Because Trent _really _needed that side of him at this moment in time. He sighed frustrated at how stupid he was being as he continued to pace around in his bedroom. He'd never been so flustered and bothered before when it came to calling some girl; he usually called them the night he had gotten their number, and ended up having a nice chat before making plans to hang out or something.

But Courtney wasn't _some _girl.

She was confident, independent, and not to mention pretty cute.

But she was also a Westerner.

Trent sighed again as he changed direction, running his fingers through his hair. The guys were already harping on him for scoring with a hot chick and not telling them all the details, but if he did, he was sure it would cost him his face; and not to sound conceded, he quite enjoyed the current arrangement of his face.

Trent felt a small clenching feeling when he thought about what they'd do to Courtney if they found out about them. He was sure it wouldn't be pretty. He wouldn't be able to live with himself if something had happened to her.

It had been a week since there last encounter, and he was starting to regret not calling her sooner; but don't get him wrong, she hadn't left his mind once.

Trent couldn't stop thinking about how creamy and glossy her beautiful brown hair was, how adorable the freckles on her nose were, her radiant smile, the twinkle that appeared in her eyes when they were full of burning hatred, her amazingly toned figure, and how stunning she was in general.

His gaze traveled to his bed; where his cell phone lay atop the bedspread. Trent slowly approached his bed before throwing himself onto the King-sized mattress. He lazily picked up his phone and glanced at it. He went into his contacts, and came up to Courtney's name. His thumb hovered over the send/call button, as he contemplated whether he should call her or not.

What would he even _say? _

_Hey, it's Trent, sorry for not calling you I was being a giant wuss and was too scared to talk to you. We should totally go on a date!_

Yeah, like _that_ would work.

Courtney would probably be super pissed, and angry at him for not sending her a text, a message, or anything. She had a lot of pride and dignity, and he knew she'd let hell freeze over and melt before she admitted something absurd like how much she missed him; Easterner or not.

He let out another aggravated sigh before slamming his phone into his covers before burying his head in his hands.

Why was this so _hard!_

**~TrAiToR~**

Why hasn't he _called_ yet!

Seriously, what could possibly be taking so long? Courtney's eyes widened as her heart started to ache slightly in her chest; what if he'd grown bored of her and moved onto some slutty _Eastern _girl! Or, if he'd just decided that she wasn't worth it and gave up on what they had?

Oh, she _knew _was a bad idea giving her his number; he probably saw her as desperate and clingy know! Which she was _not._

Courtney grumbled as she continued to furiously take down notes for the Math test on Monday; and she _refused _to waste her Friday night out _partying _like her traitor of a best friend Bridgette. _'I'll be over in an hour, two hours tops!' my ass! _

Though Bridgette's broken promise was nothing in comparison to Courtney's when it came down to it; as Bridgette was only betraying one person rather than hundreds.

Courtney felt a tiny pang in her heart as she paused on the question she was on, tapping her pencil on her temple lightly. Maybe this whole Trent thing was just a tiny phase, and burying herself in hundreds upon hundreds of mind-boggling math questions would solve her obvious hormone imbalance.

That had to be it; the reason she was simply attracted to an Easterner was hormones. It _had _been a long time since she'd had a boyfriend, she was probably just lonely and needed a good time! He was a 'friend with benefits' at best; nothing more.

Courtney's anticipation and longing was shoved to the back of her mind as she cracked a miniscule smile; the first one since her last encounter with Trent, and she sighed as she continued on with her active reading, re reading, and re re reading, before beginning the next question of her review work.

In fact, she wouldn't even _care _if Trent called her right now!

Suddenly, Lady Gaga's hit _Telephone _cut through the deafening silence of Courtney's bedroom, instantly grabbing her attention. Her eyes shot open as she practically jumped out of her seat at her desk and launched herself onto the silk covers of her bed. She grabbed her phone and quickly answered it as her previously shattered hopes began to shimmer once more.

"H-hello?" Courtney asked, with anticipation.

"Hey Court, it's me… Sorry, I can't make it to our study ses'- I'm…a little tied up right now…" Courtney's expression fell as Bridgette's slightly drunken voice rang out on the other end of the line. Loud club music was blaring in the background, proving that Courtney's hypothesis of Bridgette blowing her off for a party was bang on; like usual.

"Oh, that's fine by me; just know that I'm not going to be there for you when you fail the test and need a shoulder to cry on." Courtney sneered, before sighing as she narrowed her eyes. "How could you _do_ this to me Bridgette! Ugh!"

"Sheesh Court, relax for once in your life! It's not even like, a huge test anyway! I-"

Courtney's nose crinkled in aversion as a male voice in that _retched_ skater drawl she loathed oh, _so _much cut off her soon to be _ex. _best friend.

"Chill dudette with really annoying voice; Bridge is busy, and will do whatever you need 'er to do laterrrrrs."

"Oh, Geoff…" Bridgette giggled, with her idiotic snort.

Courtney was pretty sure her tanned face was as red as the satin on her bedspread at the _impudence _being bestowed upon her. She swallowed the curses she was about to scream in case her mother would hear her; then scold her for such immoral forms of conversation and acting unladylike.

"Why you _imbecilic_, moronic ass! How _dare _you-!" Courtney hissed in a hushed voice, until being met with loud laughs, then the click of the phones being disconnected. Courtney looked to her phone with an irritated grimace as the words 'Call Ended' flashed on the screen. She scoffed and slammed her phone into her sheets before storming back over to her desk and plopping herself in front of her mountain of binders, papers, and textbooks.

It was okay, it'd all be fine… She'd be able to focus harder in solitude, anyway. And from now on, she vowed to herself, no more distractions.

The phone rang once more, and Courtney's eyes lifted off her notes and onto her ringing phone. She bit her lip, as her hand twitched dying to grab the phone so she could answer it; but she made a vow, and Courtney Winters didn't break her vows!

Courtney could begin to feel herself beginning to crack as the chorus neared its end. She got up and begrudgingly trudged over to her bed and sat on the edge. She blinked a few times as she picked up and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey Courtney, it's me…Trent."

Courtney's eyes widened as she dropped the phone; her heart dropping to the pit of her stomach.

Oh, God, it was _him… _

"Hello…? Hello?" Trent's voice chimed from her dropped cell phone, as it lay on the floor.

Courtney's onyx eyes narrowed as she picked up her cell, pushing the butterflies and excitement out of her as she put her phone up to her ear.

"What the _hell_, Trent! Why the _hell _didn't you call me sooner!" She demanded, her voice full of spite.

Trent couldn't help but cringe on the other end of the call; he knew she'd be mad… He took in a deep breath and mentally counted to nine before continuing.

"Well, it's nice to talk to you too, thanks." He said, slightly sarcastic.

"Shut up and answer my question, you idiot." Courtney hissed, as she stood up and began to pace. There was a short silence on the other end of the line, and Courtney sighed before adding, "and tell the truth and not some stupid made up Eastern-type excuse! 'Cause I'll know!"

Courtney heard him sigh on the other line, and couldn't help but feel a tiny bit of remorse; he _had_ in fact, called her and she didn't exactly have the right to verbally assault him right away. Only later if he screwed up or something.

"Okay, look; I'm sorry that I didn't call you sooner, it's just… I was, um… Nervous, okay? I wasn't sure if you still wanted me to or not." Trent said, softly.

Courtney could feel her icy stare begin to thaw and evaporate, before she sighed and ran a few fingers through her slightly tangled hair; finally being able to leave her hair down instead of in a tight French braid.

"The whole point of me giving you my _number, _was for you to call it, nimrod." Courtney replied curtly; albeit with less hostility than usual. "Well…at least you did; and I appreciate that."

"Okay, um, great… So…" He said, awkwardly.

"What do you suppose we do; because I honest to _God_ don't know how we're going to be able to keep this whole thing hush-hush. My friend Bridgette's already interrogated me _six times _about the post-game party and if she finds out more about us she'll begin to get suspicious."

"Same here- my pals are getting a little nosy too…"

Courtney sighed again, before sitting back down on the edge of her bed.

"Well, what do we do! I _don't_ want to stop seeing you, but I _don't_ want to get caught just as much!" She exclaimed.

"Calm down, calm down." Trent murmured, earning a sigh from Courtney; although should instantly feel her shoulders become less tense and tight. "We _will_ continue seeing each other, and we _wont_ get caught."

Some of Courtney's aggravation was beginning to return, and Trent could hear it in her voice.

"How!"

She could almost see his meek smile from her room, as she heard him reply, "that… I don't know about…"

"Ugh!"

"Listen, gorgeous; I know things are a little tough right now, but we'll get through it soon. I promise." Trent said, trying his best to make Courtney believe that every single word he said was true.

Courtney rested her hand in her lap and looked down at it with ample eyes; wishing Trent's hand was there to hold it. But she'd never say that out loud. She drew in a shaky breath as her hand clenched into a fist, her obsidian eyes narrowing.

"…W-why should I believe you, y-you're an Easterner…" She muttered.

Trent clenched his free hand into a fist as he glared down at the floor. He moved his phone from one ear to the other, and sighed.

"When will you learn, Westerner, that even though I'm viewed as an Easterner in society, I only want to be viewed as myself when I'm with you?" He replied, quietly. Courtney could feel her heart begin to swell. A small smile tugged on the corners of her lips, and for the first time that evening, she obliged.

"When I'm with you, I don't have to pretend I'm someone else. I don't have to pretend I'm some heartless conceded jerk to push your kind away. With you, I'm me." He continued, as Courtney pictured his dazzling smile.

"You're such a cheesy dork." She mumbled, smiling.

"Only for you." Trent said, as his smile widened. He sat down on the edge of his bed, before letting himself fall backwards onto it. "We need to go on a date; you busy tomorrow night, Courtney?"

Courtney's heart race sped up considerably as she almost squealed in delight; but she kept it bottled in. No matter how much she wanted to, it was too hazardous; they could be spotted by either a Westerner, or an Easterner.

"Too risky… We can't risk going out in public and being seen. What's your address?" Courtney asked, a light smirk forming on her glossy lips.

Trent was slightly taken aback by the question, as he raised an eyebrow. "Uh… 1582 Bridgeport Road… Why?"

"Oh… No reason…" She said, coolly, as she grabbed a nearby note bad and jotted down his address. She bit her lip, before clearing her throat. "Monday; afterschool. I'll meet you behind your school."

"Are you sure? I mean, I honestly don't mind coming to Western Heights! I don't want to risk you being seen at my school, because I don't want anything to happen to you. If anything had to happen, I'd want it to happen to me." Trent protested, concern heard in his voice.

Courtney couldn't help but mentally gush at how _chivalrous_ and _sweet_ he was.

"No, no, I'll be fine. Now, I gotta go, you're costing me minutes." She said, teasingly.

Despite his reluctance to her coming to Eastwood, he couldn't help but smile.

"Alright… Goodnight, Courtney."

"Goodnight, cheesy dork." Courtney giggled.

"Hey! _Your _cheesy dork." Trent corrected, with a chuckle.

"GoodBYE." She smiled with an eye roll, before hanging up on the raven-haired musician. Each of them smiled to themselves, before sighing contentedly and going about their own business.

How did they get so _lucky?_

Too bad their luck was about to run out.

* * *

I honestly don't know where all these words are coming from, but here you go. Up to 3 a.m. again, so sorry if it's fluffy, bad, grammatically incorrect, or yadda yadda yadda.

Please review! I love reading your feedback.

Goodnight! I mean, morning! :D By the way, I hope you had a marvelous New Year and I hope to hear from all of you loyal reviewers this year!

~Alexex


	4. Maybe Love Isn't Such A Weakness

Oh my gosh guys, I'm sorry for not updating for a while… I've been REALLY busy with a billion summatives, and exams…

I've also been feeling really bummed lately. Mostly cause, I've been in high school for almost a semester now, and still haven't found that special someone. I got someone in mind, but I'm stuck in that retched friend zone… Sigh. I mean, I know, I've still got loads of time to think about that, but… It would be _nice _for once to actually have someone to care deeply for you. It'd be nice to not feel so alone. It'd be _nice _to have someone to relate to, to hold you in their arms, and murmur sweet nothings. To actually have someone to appreciate you, not as a friend. As something more…

To be someone's Valentine, and not just watch other's be hugged and kissed and made feel special. And not only that, have yet another awesome friend that'll be there for you regardless if your dating or not. Because that's what friends are for; but it'd still be nice to have something more.

But, enough of me droning on, and ON about my crappy personal life. I bet you couldn't care less about that. I hope y'all had a great New Year's, and hope to see all of you loyal reviewers just as much in 2011!

* * *

"Um, there, there, Bridgette… It'll be okay…"

Courtney sighed at her weak attempts at consoling the blubbering blonde, and awkwardly pat her trembling shoulder. Bridgette continued to sob into her hands, as her blonde French braid began to become looser and looser from each sob she made.

Bridgette lifted her head out of her damp hands before sniffling and blotting her eyes with a tissue Courtney had offered her, before breaking down and crying again.

Courtney couldn't help but feel her expression soften slightly after noticing how heartbroken the blonde was; Bridgette rarely cried. Courtney forgave her for ditching their study session, because karma had punished her enough. She didn't need Courtney to reprimand her and say 'I told you so!' because then, she would feel like an even bigger hypocrite than she already did.

The two Western girls remained silent, save for the occasional sniffle and quiet sob from Bridgette.

"I-I c-can't believe I was so _stupid…_" Bridgette muttered, glaring down at the table in front of her.

Courtney sent a soft glance to her, and placed a reassuring hand onto her shoulder.

"Bridge, you're not stupid… It was just…um, a poor judgment choice." Courtney replied.

Bridgette could feel another wave of sadness come crashing over her, as her eyes narrowed and more tears filled her hazel orbs.

"More like a _terrible_ judgment choice… God, what was I thinking! I'm such a traitor, how could I have even fallen for him!" She said, miserably, as her voice began to fill with more and more desolation.

Bridgette sniffled, before grasping Courtney's hands in hers and stared directly into Courtney's obsidian ones. Courtney could do nothing but try to avoid her deep gaze; it seemed as if she were using her eyes as a portal to her soul. And Courtney knew better than to let people stare into her soul; it only let insecurities and weakness show. Which was something Courtney vowed to _never _show again, since the incident.

Courtney felt her eyes flickered once the events came flooding back to her; she had been a fool to even think some Easterner could lover her, and everyone else was right to believe that they were nothing but dirty, little, liars.

But now, was she any different?

Tears. Lies. Bruises.

Those were all signs that she had clearly missed yet still had the scars, emotional and physical, to prove that they had indeed, been there. She just chose to ignore it.

Courtney shut her eyes to try and stop the threat of tears spilling out of her eyes as the image of the sinister, suave, _cocky _smirk upon his slightly bruised lips flashed through her brain. The image was blurry, as her vision was disoriented after what had happened.

She couldn't believe she had allowed it to happen; she was still in shock. She had guessed he had gotten in a lucky shot, and then got her but how could she have fallen for him?

Because she was a fool, and blinded by one-sided love. And that one-sided love was what cost her her innocence. Love was a _weakness. _

But Courtney had learned from that horrific, scarring ordeal and became stronger. Fiercer. Smarter.

Though she could also feel that she was starting to veer towards the same dangerous path that she had gone down before, each and every time she saw Trent's gorgeous features; or heard his alluring voice.

The path commonly known as love.

Courtney was drawn out of her thoughts, as Bridgette's dry lips parted as she drew in a shaky breath. Her grip on Courtney's hands tightened slightly, before loosening as she tentatively removed her hands and sighed.

"He… As soon as we had both had enough to drink, he took me back to his car, and then we made out for a while. H-he said to trust him, and stupid, _drunk _me did, a-and then we had unprotected sex…" Bridgette choked out, her eyes downtrodden with shame.

"I-I didn't even know what was happening, and two seconds later, it was just _over._ When he asked me why he hadn't seen me around Eastwood before, my heart dropped. He…he was an Easterner. A _fucking _Easterner, Courtney!"

Bridgette was full out sobbing, now. Courtney could do nothing but feel guilt clench throughout her gut and purse her lips. She pulled Bridgette into a soothing hug as the blonde sobbed into her shoulder. Courtney calmingly rubbed her back, as Bridgette hugged back, afraid to let go and face the world again.

"Fucking hell, Courtney! I'm such a dirty, traitor! _A traitor! _A t-t-trait-tor… God, if anyone else finds out I-I…" She couldn't even finish her sentence before breaking down again. The guilt in Courtney's gut was starting to clench her heart, but she brushed it away for now. Her best friend needed her, and didn't need to be troubled by a dirty, little, secret.

"Shhh, shhh Bridge… Everything is going to be all right, okay? Trust me." Courtney murmured, as Bridgette's sobs died down to a more controllable level. She pulled away and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. Courtney grabbed a tissue from the nearby box of Kleenex, before sending Bridgette a gentle smile and placing it in her empty hand. Bridgette looked down at her hand, before up again and meeting Courtney's gaze. She cracked the tiniest smile, before dabbing her eyes and letting out a short-winded laugh.

"Heh, where would I be without you, Court? Thank you so much… I-I actually feel a bit better, now." Bridgette said, quietly.

"Hey… What're _best _friends for?" Courtney smiled, successfully shoving any feelings of guilt out of her system. Just seeing Bridgette's smile again did a number on making Courtney feel less guilty. The two stared at each other again, before giggling and pulling the other into a tight embrace.

"Court, I'm _so _sorry for blowing you off. It was stupid, and got me into this mess! You _have _to promise that you won't tell _anyone _about this! _No one _else can know! Please! _Promise_ me that!" Bridgette pleaded, tears daring to leak out her eyes again.

Courtney pulled away and bit her lip before plastering on a reassuring smile in attempts to convince her best friend.

"It's in the vault."

"Oh, thank you Courtney! Thank you, _thank you!_" The blonde squealed, a smile forming on her lips once more before a small scowl replaced it as her eyes narrowed at the table. "You were right Courtney; all Easterners are just stupid, moronic, lying, bastards! I should have listened to you, after all, you know best."

Courtney's eyes narrowed for a spilt second as her guilt returned, before forcing a smile that she was sure wasn't convincing at all, and tucked some of her side bangs behind her ear.

"Heh, y-yeah… But, maybe not _all _of them…" She murmured, awkwardly. She twirled around her pointer fingers absentmindedly, as Bridgette blinked confusedly. The blonde eyed Courtney suspiciously before resting her hands on the table.

"What do you mean… Maybe not _all _of them…" She remarked, hesitantly. Courtney kept her mouth shut, and her eyes down for a few moments, before looking up and meeting Bridgette's skeptic glare.

"Oh, um, nothing. It's just that…" Courtney trailed off, equally as hesitant.

Bridgette's hazel eyes narrowed further, before she crossed her arms and sent Courtney a look that stated she was clearly not amused.

"It's just that…_what?_" Bridgette pressed.

Courtney bit her lip and scratched her arm nervously, before plastering on her most convincing nonchalant look. She examined her nails casually, and kept her gaze downward as her heart beat loudly in her chest. She had to choose her words wisely, or else she could slip up and accidentally spill which would _not _be good at all.

"Oh, it's just that it seems a little… Harsh to classify _all _of them as brainless, lying, simpletons. Some could actually, you know… Not be like that." Courtney stated, idly.

Bridgette searched Courtney's features with a face of misunderstanding and slight anger.

"Why are you _defending _them!" Bridgette demanded. Courtney bit her lip, quite shocked at the normally calm and collected, sweet girl's outburst. "Look what one of them did to me! Remember what one of them did to _you!_" Bridgette continued, angrily. Bridgette shook her head and stared at her in disbelief.

"You didn't even tell your mother; you were that broken and embarrassed! I can't even tell mine! Imagine the shame I'd bring our family? The shame I'd bring to m-my dad?" Bridgette said, her voice beginning to crack. She looked up to the sky, before looking back over to Courtney. Her previous look of sorrow returned to a frustrated expression.

"So _don't _treat those lowlife, lying, asshole _scumbags _as if they are people, because trust me Courtney, they are _not. _They like to get inside us Westerners' heads, and mess around. They're scum and starting now, we are never to cast a single _glance _in their direction. It'll be for the best, especially for you. It'll help you get over he who shall not be named. Argh, if I ever see his face again, I'll throw in a punch or two for you!"

Courtney looked down and could feel the tears start to threaten pouring out of her onyx orbs, before she scowled, shut her eyes, and clenched her hands into fists.

"Thanks Bridgette, but no thanks. I should really be going, I have to be somewhere else." Courtney muttered, before hastily standing up and slipping her arms into her new favourite jacket. She swung her bag around her shoulder, and got up from the table and scowled.

"Court, come on, don't be like that…" Bridgette sighed, before her face blanked. She raised an eyebrow warily and eyed Courtney apprehensively. "Wait… You sure seem to like that jacket… Where did you get it?"

"That's none of your business! And ugh, would you stop interrogating me? I don't need you constantly babying me, Bridgette! In fact, I don't _need_ you at all! I don't need _anyone!_" Courtney snapped, storming away from the table. Bridgette stared after her in shock, feeling slightly guilty as she sighed.

"Courtney, wait! Courtney? Courtney!" She called, though it was to no avail. Courtney was already gone.

Bridgette sighed and looked down at her lap, feeling almost as bad as she felt before; she _did _admit she was being kind of pushy towards Courtney and this mystery guy. It's just that, best friends are supposed to tell each other everything! And Bridgette didn't know what the big _deal _was anyway; Courtney should be happy and want to show her man off!

Faint chimes caught Bridgette's attention, as she reached into her knapsack to answer her ringing cell phone. Her brow furrowed as her thumb slid across the screen, as the words 'Unknown Caller' flashed in bright blue letters. She unlocked the phone, answered the call, and brought the device up to her ear.

"Hello?" She answered.

Bridgette waited for a few moments, as she was greeted with silence. Her waxed brow furrowed once again, and she bit her lip.

"Hello?" She repeated.

Once again, there was no response to her answer. Bridgette was starting to get a bit irritated, as her lips curled down into an agitated frown.

"Hello! Answer me, or I'm hanging up!"

"Whoa, calm down dudette; where's the cool, calm, Betty I hooked up with last weekend?"

Hazel eyes shot open. Breath got caught in the back of her throat. Bridgette's previously moderately calm mindset erupted into fear and panic, at the voice she was met with; the voice that she was trying _so _hard to forget.

"Geoff, _what_ the hell!" Bridgette grumbled, narrowing her eyes into slits as she kept her voice low to avoid any eavesdroppers overhearing the conversation she desperately wished was _not _happening. "How did you get my number!"

"I raided your purse when you were sleeping…" He replied, hesitantly.

Bridgette's nose crinkled as she scoffed, narrowing her eyes further. She couldn't _believe _she even gave him a chance! She was right all along; Easterners were terrible, horrible people, and are not to be trusted. Ever.

"Geoff, you asshole! How could you do something like that! Ugh! You're an Easterner, that's why; why did I even _ask. _Ugh, I knew I shouldn't have talked to you! You mother fu-!"

"I miss you..."

Bridgette froze mid-sentence, as her eyes softened considerably. Despite all the negative thoughts swirling around in her head, that single sentence brought butterflies to her stomach. She remained silent for a few seconds as she brought up her free hand to her slightly agape mouth. She blinked a few times, as she processed Geoff's words.

He…had missed her?

Her heart began to race, regardless of how wrong she knew it was to feel this way. This…this Eastside bastard- no, this _monster _was one of her rivals! They were all the same; douchebags that can't be trusted! He took her virginity!

But Bridgette _could _admit it wasn't completely horrible… He had kissed her so softly, so _lightly, _as if he was trying to convince her he was capable of caring, unlike what she had originally thought of him.

"Y-you…you do?" She stammered, forcing herself not to sound too eager; though she was positive she came across as eager anyway.

"Of course, Bridge! You're like, the coolest, awesomest chicks I've ever met!" Geoff replied.

Bridgette's lips arched into a smile, before her eyes traveled downcast and she frowned.

"Then…then why did you just _leave _me when you figured out I was a Westerner!"

She could already tell that her voice was shaky, as she fought back tears pooling in her eyes. She sniffled inconspicuously, as she waited for him to reply.

"I was shocked, okay? I was just… I was incredibly shocked, and hurt, and confused, and I totally regret it, brah. I mean, I felt like a total tool for leaving without even saying goodbye, you know and stuff? So I just wanna say I'm sorry, then I'll leave you be. Sorry."

Bridgette felt guilt wash over her, as she thought of all the pessimistic things she had said about him to Courtney, when in reality, she was the biggest hypocrite ever! All she had done was bitched and moaned about how terrible, when in truth, Geoff was actually pretty decent; maybe more than that.

"Wait! You…don't _have _to _completely _leave me a-alone… You know, if you don't _want _to, I-I mean…" She murmured, tucking some her bangs behind her ear. She chewed on her lip as she waited fro Geoff's reply; every second passing adding onto the build up of anxiety within her.

"…I'd like that." Geoff breathed out, after what seemed like an eternity of silence. The corners of Bridgette's mouth twitched into a large smile, and for once, she didn't try to stop the fluttering feeling happening in her heart.

**~TrAiToR~**

Courtney's narrowed eyes flickered as the large campus of Eastwood came into view. It was pretty big, but Courtney knew Western Heights was probably bigger. She kept her eyes focused on the roads as numerous teens clad in green and black became more and more vivid and defined, as she passed the school and headed towards the back lot. The pit of her stomach twisted and turned with anxiousness and nervousness, as she pulled into the lot; she remembered it from when her ex used to sneak her in for "dates". Her grip on the steering wheel tightened to the extent of her mocha-coloured knuckles turning white, as she glared at her surroundings; the surroundings that brought back scornful memories she desperately wished she could just forget.

Gangbangs, abuse, drugs; all things she had been involved with while dating the biggest jackass on _Earth._

Deciding it wasn't worth getting all worked up over, Courtney shoved the memories to the back of her head as she parked her silver Lexus, the quiet hum of the motor fading into silence.

Courtney let out a sigh as butterflies flooded her stomach, and she removed her keys from the ignition. She took a deep breath, before exiting the car. Her stomach churned as she stood up, her legs shaking significantly. She sighed, as she stood up as proud as she could, before walking down the dark path towards the back entrance.

"Well, well, what do we have here, boys?"

Courtney's eyes shot open, and her body froze. Her stomach dropped to her feet, as she was met with three large boys in Eastwood uniforms, one of them wielding a baseball bat. She took the time to quickly analyze each of their features.

The one on the left had dark brown eyes, a chiseled jaw line, and moppy brown locks. It seemed as if a goofy grin would be more suiting on his features than a disdainful scowl. The one on the far right was sporting an equally as disgusted scowl, and was a few inches shorter than the blonde one on the left. He had crystal blue eyes despite his tanned complexion, and looked as if he was a runway model. And the one in the middle, gazed into her eyes with such cockiness, it made her want to hurl. Courtney glared into his green eyes with such hatred she was sure it could be seen pouring out of her eyes. His silky brown hair cascaded around his toned shoulders, and his tanned face wore an expression of dominance, like it always had before. Both of their gazes never wavered in intensity, as Courtney's hands balled up into tight fists; her manicured glossy nails digging deeply into her smooth palms.

"Looks like a _spy_, bro." The brown-haired one growled, as he started to approach Courtney; her heart rate speeding up with each step he took. The middle one placed a calming hand on his shoulder, holding him back.

"Whoa there, amigo. We should at least see what this _Western _girl wants before accusing her of things," he cooed, though Courtney could detect the venom laced within each word he spoke easily. Her onyx eyes narrowed dangerously, whilst her nose scrunched up in distaste.

"Oh, you are _such _a pompous _bastard!_" Courtney scoffed, clenching her jaw as she rolled her eyes. His smirk only grew wider, as his two lackeys gasped in shock.

"You could at least formally introduce me to your two _goons; _it'll be nice to be properly acquainted before I kick their asses, as well as yours!" She continued, hissing out each word as she sported a smirk of her own.

"Oh no, lady, I'll _totally _be the one to mess _you _up!"

"Tyler?"

"Yes, Al?"

Courtney silently chuckled as she watched 'Al's' eye twitch at the use of that nickname, before he elbowed the one known as Tyler roughly, making him double over in pain.

"Ugh, what are you even doing here anyway, chica? Haven't learned your lesson enough yet, that you needed to come back _begging_ for more?" Al asked, a smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth.

Courtney rolled her eyes a scowl returning to her face, before she flipped her braid over her shoulder.

"As if I'd tell _you, Alejandro_. And no worries, I'm not spying on you; like there would be anything to spy on _anyway. _Now if you would just let me be on my way-"

"Ha! Now it is _my _turn to say as if, señoirita. Tyler? Justin? Teach her a lesson." Al snickered, grinning snidely at the Western brunette as her scowl deepened.

Tyler and Justin both nodded as their eyes narrowed. They each approached Courtney, with intent to leave her crying for mercy.

Courtney smirked, before she feigned sadness and wiped a fake tear away from her eye.

"Oh dear, let's see… Two of you, and only _one _of me!" Courtney gasped, before sniffling and fanning her face as she frowned. "How unfair!"

As Tyler and Justin raised their arms to punch her, Courtney smirked and slid down into a full split, then punched each of them in the crotch simultaneously. The two goons groaned and fell to the ground clutching their throbbing manhood's.

"For _you!_" She snickered.

"Aww, dude! She went all _cheerleader_ on us! Not fair!" Tyler squeaked out.

Alejandro's smirk turned into a heated glare as Courtney hopped up and did a hurkey as if to gloat. She sent him a victorious smirk as his scowl deepened.

"Oh this isn't over Courtney, not by a long shot!" He growled, picking up the bat and patting it menacingly against his palm.

Courtney's face blanked as her stomach began to churn with uneasiness. Oh _shit, _the bat… She forgot about that. Courtney had to options; to either book it to her car and get the _fuck _out of there before she was beaten by him, or to tough it out and show him that she's not the same weakling he'd fooled around with before. And she couldn't also just _leave, _she had to meet Trent!

Deciding the former was _not _an option, Courtney shut her eyes tightly and held her chin up high. She would not let her pride suffer anymore. Her entire body was shaking as she waited for his strike. Searing pain shot up through her right femur and through her hips as she screamed, and collapsed to the ground in pain. Her body trembled as she clutched her upper thigh, tears threatening to pour out of her eyes. She weakly and hazily looked up meeting Alejandro's cocky grin. She panted as she glared venomously at him, before he violently kicked her in her side. Courtney cringed as she rolled a few feet, her breathing becoming extremely shallow.

As Alejandro crouched down in front of her, Courtney mustered up all the power she could to viciously glare at him, trying her best to appear as if she had the upper hand when it was crystal clear that he had won. How could she have ever _loved _that monster? She now knew why love was a weakness.

"Let that be a warning, chica. Next time you trespass, you wont be so lucky. You might come across someone less forgiving than me." Alejandro smirked, caressing her sweat-ridden cheek roughly. Courtney's glare deepened as he leaned down and planted forceful kiss on her unresponsive lips, making sure to bite down on her lower lip aggressively. Courtney's deadly glare never once faltered, as she watched him strut off as if he were the king of the world, as his two _minions_ wobbled after him still sore after the blow they got from Courtney.

Courtney lay still, throbbing, and aching all over. She listened to her uneven breathing and shut her eyes, successfully preventing tears from flowing out of her onyx orbs. Despite all he did to her now, and before; humiliation, and sweltering pain, Alejandro was right. She _had _been lucky. If it were anyone else, they probably wouldn't have left her off so easy. And knowing what Alejandro was capable of, she got of _really _easy. He probably would have done _a lot _more if Tyler and Justin weren't there.

She let out a long sigh as she struggled to lift herself up into a sitting position, pain shooting through each and every muscle in her body; especially where he had hit her with the bat. Courtney took a couple minutes to fix her hair and make-up, and made herself look as if nothing had happened at all; she didn't need Trent worrying and fussing over her, despite how cute she thought it would be.

Courtney stood up, ignoring the soreness the best she could, and plastered on an expressionless face. She sighed, before strutting down the rest of the back lot towards the back door, her knees close to buckling under her. But she ignored it, because she was strong. Strong enough to hide any emotion that dared show up on her face; be it pain, sorrow, fear, or even love. Though, the latter was becoming more and more difficult with each and every time she saw Trent.

Regardless of the silent tears running down her smooth, tan cheeks, Courtney found a soft smile appearing on her lips.

Maybe she didn't have to be so strong when she was around him… Maybe he was different…

And maybe- just maybe; love wasn't such a weakness.

* * *

Well that ending _sucked. _Hopefully since I don't have school this week, I'll be able to chug out more updates; especially ones not as crappy as this. But dammit, I'm tired… So sorry! Please review, they make my day! Don't you wanna make my day? :( Teehee, anyway, yeah, thanks for reading and please review! :)


	5. Sleep Well, Beautiful

Hey there again guys! I really enjoy writing this story, and I'm glad that you enjoy reading it. Hopefully I'll be able to complete it a lot faster than Broken Strings, considering I have a loose plot already in my mind. I also have planned out one of the later chapters, and that one will be a _real _hit I'm sure. Tehe, so… Not much to say here, except on with the story! So, enjoy!

* * *

Trent ran his fingers through his thick black hair, before pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the time. Ten minutes had passed since he had last done so, meaning Courtney was approximately half an hour late. He sighed and leaned further back into the seat he was sitting on, staring aimlessly ahead.

School was long over, leaving the lounge completely deserted; save for Trent of course. He tiredly glanced around the room, his gaze landing upon the abandoned pool table, the empty couches, the other vacant recreational activities, and the flat screen TV that was shut off.

What was taking her so long? Trent could feel his brow crease in worry, as his stomach clenched nervously. What if she was hurt? She could be lying somewhere, bleeding to death, and it would be his entire fault! Trespassing was one of the _worst_ things a Westerner could do on Eastern turf; if you were _caught_. So Trent hoped with all his might that she wasn't.

Trent sat up straight when he heard footsteps, desperately wishing it was Courtney. A smile found it's way onto his lips when his wish came true. He quickly got up and started to walk over to her, as she weakly smiled back.

"Hey…" He said, softly, pulling her into a warm embrace; he could feel her tense up under his touch as she drew in a short breath, before she hesitantly hugged back. He raised an eyebrow at her oddly timid behavior, before brushing it off and sighing.

"I've missed you," he murmured. Trent pulled away and stared at Courtney with soft eyes, as she stared back without any expression on her face. Trent furrowed his brow, before narrowing his eyes slightly with suspicion as he saw her visibly shake.

"Court, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She croaked, before clearing her throat and sending him a weak smile. "Just fine."

Trent stared at her skeptically, before sighing and sending her a smile despite his slight suspicion. "Alright… If you say so."

Courtney pursed her slightly bruised lips, and nodded mutely as her gaze traveled to the floor. She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself, before a soft, gentle hand was placed on her chin, lifting it upwards so her eyes would look up. Onyx eyes met bright green ones, as Trent searched hers. Courtney blinked a few times, as her eyes flickered, before she let out her best convincing smile.

"H-hi…" She murmured, her voice barely above a whisper.

Trent smiled back, and tenderly placed some of her loose strands of hair behind her ear. He pursed his lips and sighed quietly.

"Are you sure you're okay? You know, you can tell me any-"

Before Trent could finish his sentence, soft lips met his. He instantly melted into the kiss, each of them shutting their eyes and forgetting their surroundings. Courtney ignored all the pain; emotional, and especially physical and just let her lips mold with Trent's passionately. Silent tears spilled out of her closed eyes, but neither paid a mind to them, as they were too wrapped up in the kiss.

Courtney's cold fingers laced themselves around Trent's warm neck, sending shivers down his spine, and he placed his hands on her hips. Courtney flinched under his touch, before trying her best to conceal the hiss of pain she made against his lips, by forcing out a lustful moan she was sure she'd have let out at some point, anyway. Though it was to no avail, as Trent pulled away, his brow creased with worry and he quickly removed his hands from her waist. Courtney bit her lip and avoided his eyes to the best of her ability, before he cupped her face forcing their eyes to meet.

"'Kay, you are _not _okay…" He remarked, scowling slightly.

"No! No! I'm fine, I-I'm just…sore! From cheerleading practice!" Courtney lied, cursing mentally after hearing that retched stutter spill out of her mouth; the one that happened whenever she was nervous, or lying- and in this case, it was both. Trent's gaze softened up slightly making Courtney heave a mental sigh of relief.

"…You're absolutely sure…" He questioned, searching her dark eyes for any hints of dishonesty.

"Yes." Courtney replied, keeping up her façade by sending him a small smile.

"…Positive?"

Courtney rolled her eyes despite the genuine smile forming on her lips, and sent Trent a slightly annoyed expression.

"Yes!"

"…Are you completely-"

Courtney pressed her lips against Trent's once more, with more than the intent of shutting him up; though that was nice, too. Sooner than later, Trent found himself kissing back with just as much, if not more passion. She pushed Trent backwards, her lips never once leaving his. Trent stumbled backwards, and the back of his knees met the edge of the couch making him fall back onto it. Courtney toppled down onto his chest, and bit her tongue to hold in the cry of pain that was dying to escape her lips. She stared down at Trent with slightly widened eyes, as a blush crept its way onto both of their faces.

"Hi there…" Trent said softly, smiling up at her.

Courtney's blush deepened and she bit her lip, until Trent leaned forwards to capture her lips with his own. Courtney found herself kissing back as she rested her hands on either side of him to prop herself up. Trent pulled away briefly, before trailing light kisses down her neck. Courtney drew in a sharp intake of breath, before her eyes fluttered hazily. One of Trent's hands landed on her thigh, making her eyes shoot open and a loud squeal to escape her lips as she flinched. Trent instantly removed his hands and pulled away as his eyes widened with concern, before narrowing into a small glare.

"You _liar_! You're not fine at all!" He exclaimed.

Courtney stared down at her lap in shame, as she sat up into a straddling position on Trent's waist. She knew lying was a bad idea; but, she couldn't tell him either! Alejandro would beat him even harder than he would her! And Courtney couldn't let that happen.

"What happened?" He demanded, his voice less agitated than before.

Courtney continued to stare downwards, afraid to meet his eyes. She sighed and shifted her weight before intertwining her fingers together silently.

"…A few Easterners saw me a-and…" She muttered, before looking up and meeting his gaze with saddened eyes. She didn't need to finish her sentence for Trent to understand what she was getting at. He _knew _this was a bad idea; for her to come to Eastwood. He pulled himself out from under her and glared at nothing as he stood up and began to pace. Courtney had a mini heart attack as she thought he was leaving her, but quietly sighed in relief when she realized that wasn't the case.

"I knew it; I _knew _it! Courtney, I _knew _it was a bad idea for you to come here! Do you realize how lucky you are to have left as unharmed as you did? Do you _realize _what could have happened!" Trent shouted. Courtney jumped, as her eyes widened further, having never seen this side of him before. It was frightening, yet oddly alluring.

"If something worse had of happened, Courtney… I…don't know what I'd do…" Trent murmured. Each of their expressions softened, before Trent walked back over to her and sat down. He sighed as Courtney stared ahead of her, a distant look on her face.

Trent…cared for her. Deeply. She knew that now. He was genuinely worried for her safety; which albeit not good, Courtney couldn't help but mentally gush over how protective he was of her.

"Who was it?" Trent asked, firmly.

"What?" Courtney questioned, coming back to reality.

"Do you know who hit you?"

Courtney bit her lip, before sighing and shaking her head. Her gaze traveled downwards as she wrapped her arms around herself protectively.

"No…I have no clue who they were." She lied, not only for her safety, but Trent's as well. If Trent confronted Alejandro, he would destroy him! Easily… And Courtney _wouldn't_ let that happen.

Trent sighed again, before he stood up and held out his hand for her to take. Courtney furrowed her brow, before hesitantly taking it. Her stomach twisted and turned with butterflies as he pulled her up into a standing position. Trent pulled her down the hall towards the exit, thoroughly confusing the brunette.

"Where are you taking me?" She questioned. She made no protest, though, which was something she would normally do.

"I'm driving you home." He replied, simply. Trent opened the door, before leading her down the dimly lit back lot towards her car. He opened the passenger door for her, but Courtney merely stuck up her nose and crossed her arms.

"I don't need a chauffeur, Trent; I am perfectly capable of driving myself home!" She scoffed.

Trent sighed and rolled his eyes, before sending her a look. He ran a few fingers through his hair as his eyes narrowed. "You're hurt, and I don't need you getting _more _hurt. Besides, do you want to have to watch the game from the sidelines?"

Courtney eyes widened, before she scowled and rolled her eyes. She hadn't thought of that; unless she was in tip-top physical condition, she wouldn't be able to cheer at the championship game. Courtney huffed as she got into the car, wincing when her right leg started to throb. She sighed and stared out the window as Trent got into the driver's seat and started the car, bringing the previously silent motor to a soft hum.

**~TrAiToR~**

Pretty much all of the car ride was in silence, with the exception of when Trent asked for directions to her house, and her quiet replies. Trent's green eyes stayed narrowed at the road ahead, as he waited for a streetlight to turn green. Courtney's hazy eyes were focused on the window, and the blurs that were passing cars.

Trent's pointer finger tapped an inconsistent rhythm as his narrowed green eyes narrowed further. Tension within the car was so thick, one could cut through it with a knife.

Courtney sighed, as she shifted her weight and tapped on her left arm with her right pointer finger. She took a quick peek at Trent, and couldn't help but feel guilt wash over her, when she realized how tense he was; and it was all because of her. She couldn't recall ever seeing him this…irritable and edgy.

"Trent…?" Courtney spoke, breaking the smothering silence. Her voice made him jump, as he was drawn out of his thoughts. He turned to face her, the same unreadable expression displayed upon his features. She searched for his eyes, her expression softening and his eyes flickering.

"I-I'm sorry if I worried you… It's just, that I'm so used to having to do things for me, and only me, and I'm so used to being independent, and… I…I didn't want my pride to suffer a blow. Also, I didn't want to trouble you." She mumbled, quietly.

Trent stared at her for a few moments, before his expression softened a bit and he sighed. Trent pursed his lips, before patting her left thigh with his right hand reassuringly, signifying that he understood her, and accepted her apology. Courtney bit her lip as Trent's hand returned the steering wheel. Once the streetlight changed from red to green, Trent accelerated as the not-so comforting silence returned.

Around five minutes passed until they had arrived at her house. Trent pulled into the driveway, before shutting off the car and pulling the key out of the ignition. He handed them to Courtney, before getting out of the car and shutting the door behind him. Once again, like the gentleman he was, he opened Courtney's door for her and pulled her out of the car. She shut the door, before they made their way up the walkway and up the concrete steps towards the front door.

Trent took in his surroundings as Courtney unlocked the door; he couldn't help but marvel at how lavish her home was.

It looked to be at least three stories. The front yard had lush green grass, perfectly mowed. The walkway was made out of cobblestones, and the driveway was made out of bricks. It had a double driveway and two garages, and numerous statues were situated around the front porch.

Courtney opened the door, and walked in with Trent at tow. He let out a low whistle at the extravagance of the interior of the household. It was even more impressive than the exterior. Courtney hung up her jacket on the coat rack beside the door, and took off her shoes, leaving her only in her school uniform.

"Nice place you got here…" Trent commented, as his eyes roamed over the remarkable home. Courtney sent him a small smile as she walked up a few stairs to the first level of the home. Trent took off his shoes and jacket, before following Courtney.

"Thanks. Okay, the bathroom is the first door to your right," she said, as she walked down the hall towards the kitchen. "Here's the kitchen, and that," she said, gesturing towards a large, welcoming area with large sofas, and a humongous plasma screen TV; one approximately four times larger than the one in the Eastwood lounge.

"Is the den," she finished.

"Cool. Now, you go sit down and I'll get you some ice." Trent offered, with a small smile.

Courtney furrowed her brow, and bit her lip. She _was _the homeowner, and he was the guest; it would be rude of her to let him have to tend to her in her own home. She trucked some loose hair behind her ear and sighed, as her gaze met is.

"Trent, no, I can't let you do that, it would-"

"Nah, it's cool, I want to." He smiled back, silencing her instantaneously. Courtney eyed him up and down, before awkwardly turning away to go walk over to the den.

"O…kay…" She replied, hesitantly as she made her way over to one of the large sofas and plopping herself down.

"So, where are your parents? Isn't it about dinner time?"

Courtney's eyes flickered, before she sighed and wrapped her arms around herself.

"They're on a business trip and won't be back until the end of the month." She called back.

"I see…"

Trent sighed as he crossed the kitchen towards the large, stainless steel refrigerator. He crouched down and opened the freezer, pulling out a handful of icepacks from the door of the freezer. He stood up and shut the freezer with his foot, before walking into the den. His feet sunk into the luxuriant, pristine carpet, as he walked over to her. His eyes landed on Courtney, and he couldn't help but softly smile to himself at her beauty. She was casually flipping through one of the magazines littered upon a nearby end table; her deep onyx eyes darting back and forth as she scanned over each word displayed in front of her.

She sure was an extravagant sight.

Before Trent realized what had happened, sharp pain shot through his leg as he walked into the corner of a coffee table that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. The initial shock went away as he lost his balance, tumbling to the floor face first with a hearty thud. Courtney's head snapped up as she quickly placed the magazine beside her, and her hands flew up to her mouth with shock as she gasped. Her eyes widened as she heard Trent groan, before she felt laughter bubble upon her lips.

"Trent! A-a-are you okay?" She giggled, trying her best not to full out laugh at his pain.

"Yeah…I'm fine…" He droned, sitting himself up and sending her a crooked smile. Trent rubbed his throbbing nose tenderly, as Courtney's hands drew back away from her mouth revealing a large smile.

Trent got up, and walked over limping slightly due to the budding bruise on his right shin, and sat down beside Courtney.

"Okay, Court… Where does it hurt?" Trent asked, softly. He stared deeply into her eyes, watching them soften up. Courtney sighed, before she lifted up part her plaid skirt exposing a large bruise on her upper right thigh. With her free hand, she lifted up her wrinkled white shirt revealing another rather large bruise on her abdomen. Trent pursed his lips when he noticed how painful they looked, and gently ran a few fingers over the one on her stomach. He felt her wince under his touch and heard her take a sharp intake of breath, before calmly letting it out and relaxing into his hand.

"Lie down," he murmured softly.

Courtney stared into his eyes for a few seconds, trying to anticipate what he was going to do. She bit her lip, before mutely leaning back until her head met the couch. Trent lifted her legs onto his lap, so they laid perpendicular to his. Courtney found a blush creep it's way onto her cheeks, as she stared into Trent's ample eyes with slightly widened ones. He grabbed two ice packs, placing one on her thigh, and the other on her abdomen. Courtney shivered at the contrast between the ice-cold compresses and the warmness of her skin. Her eyes stayed downcast at Trent's hands, before shifting upward, meeting Trent's gaze. He smiled softly at her, and she returned the sweet smile. Her lids flutter closed, and she let out a content sigh.

"Feel better?" Trent asked.

Courtney hummed in response, smiling as she nodded her head. She opened one of her eyes, before smirking faintly and grabbing one of the extra icepacks that rested on the nearby coffee table. She lifted it up so it met Trent's nose, giggling slightly as she watched his bright green eyes widen as they went cross-eyed. Each of them smiled, before Courtney let a soft laugh.

"You know, if I wasn't in so much pain, I'd be _incredibly_ turned on right now…" She remarked.

Trent chuckled in response, before his smile widened.

"That makes two of us."

**~TrAiToR~**

Courtney sighed as her eyes fluttered open. She yawned, and sat upright smiling slightly as the pain was at it's minimum. She looked around at her surroundings, her brow furrowing when she realized it was pitch black. She rubbed her eyes with her fists, and blinked a few times to try and get them to focus. Courtney looked around, before realizing she was in the living room and all alone.

She glanced at the cable box hooked up to the TV, to check for the time; it was 2:56 a.m.

Trent must have gone home long ago, and Courtney couldn't help but feel guilty for falling asleep and leaving him to fend for himself, and have to find a way home.

Courtney sighed, before a small slip of paper caught her eye. She turned on a nearby lamp, and picked up the paper. Her eyes scanned over it, as a smile formed on her lips. Her smile widened, before she reached over to the lamp and shut it off. Courtney hugged the note to her chest and laid back down. She sighed as she shut her eyes, drifted off into a peaceful sleep, taking the note's advice. She couldn't help but fall asleep with a soft smile on her face as she imagined Trent's warm tenor voice dancing through her eardrums, saying that one sentence that brought butterflies to her stomach.

Courtney snuggled into the couch; the note firmly gripped in her hand.

_Sleep well, Beautiful._

_-Trent_

_

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_

Eh, not bad. I totally loved writing the ending, and I definitely think this is going to be one of the sweetest chapters in this story. Also, don't worry, this story won't be one of my shorter, unfinished ones. I'm going to stay committed to this! :D

Please, please review, guys… I'm not going to continue writing if there's no one to appreciate my hard work…

And to those who review all my works, I love you all _so _much. You have no idea how much it means to me. :)

So, yeah, the next chapter should be up sooner than later, and until then, review please!


	6. It Won't Last Long

Aw, thanks for all the reviews for last chapter guys! That's the most I've gotten for a single chapter yet! Wanna know a ballsy goal I've got? Well, my goal is that by the end of this story, I'd like more reviews than Broken Strings. Maybe more than 200 even! Gosh, that'd make me cry! Happy tears, though. ;D Anyway, onto the chapter!

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Nightfall blanketed the quiet city, stale, cool, autumn air rushing past a lone figure as it trekked down the empty sidewalk. Streetlamps flickered overhead, the only noises in this silent night, being the howling wind.

Trent let out a breath as he wrapped his jacket around himself more, to try and stay warm. It was a chilly night, that's for sure. He knew his house wasn't too far away now, as he had already walked most of the fifteen kilometers in the last two hours. He didn't mind walking home, at all; Trent thought he needed to get more exercise anyway.

He sighed as he turned onto his street, a clenching feeling occurring in his stomach. Hopefully, his parents were asleep and didn't question his late entrance into the house.

Once he reached driveway, he walked up the stairs to the front porch. He quiet cussed under his breath, when he remembered he left his key in his bag, which he left in his locker back at Eastwood. He couldn't ring the doorbell, in fear that it would wake his family. Trent examined his surroundings, raking his mind for any ways of entering the house. He looked up, and his shoulders slumped as a scowl appeared on his lips.

"Oh, great, I guess I'll have to climb in through the window…again." He muttered.

Trent sighed again as he ran his fingers through his hair. He continued to mutter incoherent ramblings, as he walked over to the side of the house. He gripped the vine-fencing attached the side of the house and began climb up towards the window. He drew in a sharp intake of breath, as his heart dropped to his stomach when one of his feet snapped through one of wooden bindings. His grip tightened as he maintained his balance, cringing at broken piece of fence. He'd definitely be getting an earful from his mom once she found out.

Trent grunted as he hoisted himself up onto the windowsill, with some effort. He shifted his weight into a more comfortable position, as his fingers fumbled with the childproof lock. He easily unlocked the window, before he pushed it up with his free hand. A shrill squeaking noise emit from the worn out wood, cutting through the silence of the night. Trent cringed once again, before leaning under the window as quietly as he could, but the creaking wood was making the task rather difficult. His eyes shot open and he gasped, tumbling onto the floor of the tranquil living room face first. Pain shot through his already tender nose, as he lifted his face up from the floor. Trent scowled and rubbed his nose, before turning around and shutting the window. He let out a sigh, before quietly walking through the dark room towards the stair case. Once he made it there, he would be in the clear.

Trent walked around the corner into the hall, accidentally walking into a table. He fell to the floor, and slammed against the wall, wincing when a vase came crashing down onto the hardwood floor, shattering.

"Ah, crap!" Trent whispered, rubbing the back of his head where he accidentally banged the wall.

Light lit up the hall, as a woman clad in a silk knee length nightgown sporting a green facial mask, hiding her few wrinkles and worry lines descended down the stairs. Her ebony curls were pinned back into a loose, messy bun, and her forest green eyes were wide and full of fear. She wielded a clothes iron as if it were a baseball bat, trying her best to seem intimidating, though the feeling was lost upon her apparel. Green eyes met green eyes, each pair widening.

"Trent?"

"Mom?"

Trent's heart rate sped up as his eyes widened further. His mother lowered the iron, placing it on the table Trent accidentally walked into. Her eyes softened, before she rushed over to the teen, wrapping her arms around him tightly. Trent's widened eyes remained just as wide, as he struggled to breathe in her tight embrace. He hesitantly hugged her back, as his mom planted kisses atop his head.

"Oh my _baby_, thank _goodness _you're safe! I was so worried about you, I almost called the police, but your father said not to worry and that you'll be fine, but… You're just my only son and I couldn't stop worrying about you! You're not hurt, are you? Sick? Any broken limbs? Fever?" His mother cooed, tears leaking out of her eyes and cracking her mask. Trent felt guilt wash over him as his mother continued to fuss over him and every single nook and cranny that looked injured. A few minutes passed, before a man came bounding down the stairs sleepily. He wiped the sleep from his eyes with the back of his hand, and yawned, before raising an eyebrow at Trent.

"Well… Look what the cat dragged in," he remarked, idly. "We got ourselves a burglar, Jenny."

The one known as Jenny rolled her eyes, unraveling her arms from around Trent, making him heave a mental sigh of relief as his wind pipe became uncrushed. She placed a hand on her hip, sending her husband a look that showed she was clearly not amused.

"Oh come off it, Brian, he's home safe. That's all that matters." Jenny scoffed, crossing her arms across her chest.

Brian rolled his green, tired eyes, a scowl appearing on his dry lips. He ran his fingers through his tangled black hair, sending his wife a look, and his son a hard glare. Trent winced slightly, before keeping his gaze downwards at the floor.

"Trent, look how much you worried your mother!" He exclaimed, keeping his voice hushed. He let out a sigh, as his scowl deepened. "How much you worried me! Not cool, bud, not cool at all. Where were you!"

"Um… I got side tracked at school rehearsing my music, and then fell asleep in the lounge." Trent lied smoothly, sending his parents a careless smile. Jenny scrunched up her nose, as Brian glared at him darkly.

"You were…what?" He grunted.

"Practicing my guitar… But! Just hear me out-"

Before Trent could finish, Brian's glare deepened and he huffed. "Trent, _how _many times do we have to tell you this! Guitar's are for hippy's with no class, or manners! They're for bums; moochers off the street, penniless shmoe's! Are _you _a shmoe, Trent!" He exclaimed.

Trent scowled and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes.

"Again with the hippy reference?" Trent sighed, annoyed at his parent's lack of support. He'd show them one day…

"Twent's a penniless shmoe? I _knew _it!" A girl who looked to be about eight or nine years old snickered; a slight lisp heard in her high pitched voice, as her glossy pigtails bounced around her rosy cheeks. She hopped down the stairs in her _Hello Kitty_ pajamas, a smirk lighting up her features as she grinned smugly at Trent. He glared back at her.

"Amelia, _shut _up!" He yelled, getting up off the floor, and towering over the little girl.

"Trent. Smith. Do _not _talk to your little sister like that!" Their mother snapped, her voice firm and commanding. She glared at her son as he scowled in return, groaning quietly and rolling his green eyes. Jenny's eyes narrowed into slits as she placed her hands on her hips with authority, a few strands of hair slipping out of her bun. "And I do _not _appreciate your attitude, young man! You are certainly in no place to be using that tone!"

"Ugh! You guys never support me! Why is it, whenever Amelia wants to do something, you always _drop_ whatever you're doing and do whatever it takes to get it for her; and whenever _I _need or want something, it's always, 'Oh, sorry sweetie, we can't afford that right now…', or, 'Trent, son, that idea is stupid, do something useful with your life! Why aren't you looking over those spreadsheets I laid out for you?'" He mocked, anger coursing through his veins. Trent's parent's stood by, shocked by what they were witnessing; Amelia merely rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. Trent was even shocked himself by what was spilling out of his mouth; he guessed that seeing Courtney so much lately had really messed around with his emotions.

"And how many times to I have to tell you guys that I _don't _want to be an accountant! It's not fair that Hillary got to pursue her dream of being an actress! Or that Lily got to go to Julliard for ballet! And that Miss 'I wanna be a Chef! No, wait, an artist! No, an astronaut!' gets supported a hundred percent and all I get is patronized, and my hopes shattered." Trent continued, his green eyes narrowing.

Jenny looked close to tears, as Brian scowled slightly, rubbing his wife's shoulder in a comforting manner. Amelia glared up harshly at her older brother, before rolling her eyes once again.

"Um, hello? An astwonaut was _last week. _I want to be a supeh-model now! La-DUH!" She scoffed.

"Aww, honey, isn't that _adorable!_" Jenny cooed, smiling adoringly at her husband.

"See! That is _exactly _what I'm talking about! You and dad don't care about me at all!" Trent shouted, jealousy oozing out of his green eyes as he glared down at his brat of a little sister. Trent was normally a calm guy, but he _refused _to be made the bad guy by his parents when they are just as guilty with many other things.

"That is _not _true, honey! We care very dearly for you, and we only want what's in your best interest for the future!" His mother replied.

"But don't you care about what I _want?_" He shot back, before sighing and running his fingers through his hair.

"Okay, okay, that's enough, everyone," Brian cut in, holding up his hands in a calming manner. He glanced at each of the family members, raising one eye brow when he was greeted back with an eye roll from his children and a sigh from his wife. "We're all tired, and hurting each other with our words, now. Let's all just go back to bed, and we'll speak about this in the morning," he finished, sending Trent a warning glare, which he rolled his eyes at.

"Sure, sure, whatever." Trent mumbled, heading towards the stairs. Amelia yawned, before following suit. Brian let out a sigh, as Jenny's expression softened. She bit her lip and stared after the kids, a concerned look on her face.

"Goodnight, darlings! Love you!" She called after them. Her expression fell when she only heard Amelia's response, and she sighed.

"Hon… do you think we're being too hard on Trent?"

Brain pursed his lips, before wrapping an arm around Jenny and kissing her temple reassuringly. He felt her relax into his touch, and he rubbed her bare shoulder soothingly.

"Relax, sweetheart. We're doing the right thing; he needs to toughen up, and if we're not strict with him, he'll fall down the wrong path and make bad choices, and throw his life away!" Brian replied. Jenny sighed again, before heading up the stairs leaving Brian by himself.

He let out another sigh, before following his wife and shutting off the light. He knew being strict with Trent wasn't good, but he couldn't let his son fall down the same path he did.

**~TrAiToR~**

A scowl seemed to have been permanently cemented onto Trent's ever since the events of the night prior. After washing up for school, he descended down the stairs and entered the kitchen. It was filled with the delightful aroma of freshly made pancakes, bacon, and eggs. Jenny shut off the stove, and wiped the sweat beads trickling down her creased forehead with the back of her hand, and let out a breath. She turned around, and sent a cheerful smile to Trent. For once, he didn't return it; he was in too poor of a mood.

"Good morning, Trent," his mother greeted, a warm smile upon her lips. "Sleep well?"

Trent eyed his mother up and down skeptically, the scowl on his face lessening a smidge. He sighed and shrugged, before staring down at the table; that's the one thing that he couldn't help but love about his mom. No matter how much he messed up, or acted out, she always tried her best to put the past behind her. He assumed he got his caring nature from her.

She walked over to him, and placed a soft kiss on his forehead, the intoxicating scent of her strawberry chap-stick filling his nostrils. She placed a plate of bacon, eggs, and pancakes in front of him along with some utensils, and placed out a smaller portion of the same meal for Amelia. She slid into the chair across from Trent, and rested her chin in the palm of her hands, propping herself up by placing her elbows on the table. She smiled sweetly at her son, as he sent her a lopsided smile.

"Mom, you know, you can't just buy my affection with delicious-smelling breakfast food, that- _where_ is my syrup?" Trent said, before he caught sight of his naked pancakes. He was kidding for the most part, as him and his mother shared a quiet laugh.

"Nope, you're right, sweetheart. This breakfast is an apology for the way your father and I have been acting. We're sorry if we made you feel as if we don't care about you, because in reality, we feel the exact opposite! We just love you…so…much, it…" She trailed off, her voice beginning to crack.

Trent's expression softened completely, as she took one of his mom's hands with his own. He smiled at her.

"No, it's okay mom. I shouldn't have said anything. I lost my cool." He shrugged. Trent began to take a few bites out of his breakfast, as his mother smiled fondly at her son. She brushed some of his bangs out of his eyes, chuckling when his emerald eyes widened slightly.

"Heh, you get _that _from your father," she giggled.

Trent laughed silently, before continuing to eat his breakfast. Amelia entered the kitchen in her school uniform, which consisted of a black and white plaid skirt, white pantyhose, a white dress shirt, a black cotton sweater vest with the words _Abby Park Elementary_ written in small white letters on the left chest pocket, and a pair of black flats with a strap to keep her small foot in the shoe; a silver rhinestone butterfly was placed on each of the Velcro straps. Her black curls were slicked back into two pigtails that swayed behind her pierced ears when she walked. She yawned,and took her place at the table, before beginning to pick at her food. She was followed by Brian, who was sporting a fancy business suit with a silver tie, and his hair was brushed and neater than its state the night before.

"I resent that comment," he mumbled, earning a soft giggle from his wife. She got up from her seat, and planted a quick kiss on his lips, before walking over to the stove to fix him up a plate of food. She smiled at him as she placed the plate in front of him, and poured him a hot cup of coffee.

"Trent, honey, I have an appointment this morning and can't drive Amelia to school. And your father has to go to a meeting, so he can't either… Could you please walk her to the bus stop? I know, not your ideal morning, but it would be a _big _help; the bus stop is on your way to school, so it shouldn't be too big of a hassle… Please, kangaroo…?" Jenny pleaded, staring directly into Trent's eyes with her own. He hated that nickname oh, _so _much. It got him roped into a lot of tedious, irritating tasks, like cleaning the garage, or vacuuming the basement, or babysitting Amelia; the latter being the most tedious of all.

Trent sent her a half smile, as he got up to clear his plate. "Sure, mom, no prob."

He placed his plate into the sink, and walked past his parents and out of the kitchen, down the hall, and towards the front door . He slipped his arms into his jacket, and put on his red _Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games _mittens. "Come on squirt, let's go!" He called.

Amelia rolled her eyes, before pushing her chair away from the table; her petite legs dangling over the edge of the chair, too short to reach the floor. She got up, and smiled at her parents, before turning around and scowling as she walked down the hall.

"Coming!" She called back, her adorable children's speech impediment radiating from her girly voice. Trent sighed as he helped her into her coat, slid her hands into her matching puppy mittens, and her puppy-dog earmuffs. Trent opened the door for her, and shut the door behind them once they exited the house. The cool autumn air sliced through Trent's jacket easily, and he mentally cursed to himself for not wearing his thicker jacket. A smile found its way forming on his lips when he realized he left it with Courtney; her and that jacket had become pretty much inseparable since their first encounter. And he was glad that his favourite jacket was in the hands of his favourite girl. (One of his favourite girls; not counting his little sisters- he wouldn't admit _that._)

It didn't take long for Amelia and Trent to reach the bus stop, and pretty much all of the walk there was in silence, save for the occasional quip between the two siblings.

"Alright Ame, we're here." Trent said, walking her over to some of her classmates that also took the bus.

Amelia rolled her eyes, "No DUH, Twent," she mumbled, brushing past the teen and getting in line behind her friends. Trent raised an eyebrow, as a boy with golden locks walked past Amelia, igniting a large blush on her pale cheeks, making them turn a rosy colour. He couldn't help but feel a pang in his heart upon witnessing this display.

Trent rolled his eyes, shoving the feeling to the back of his mind, before his lips curled up into a small smirk.

"Whatever, squirt. Oh, do you know _why _we call her squirt?" He questioned, nonchalantly, grabbing the attention of the little boy, and a few other of Amelia's classmates. "Amelia used to have a _real _problem with wetting the bed… I wouldn't be surprised if she still did now!"

The kids began to laugh and snicker, as Amelia blushed furiously sending a menacing glare to Trent after catching the disgusted look her crush sent her. She stuck out her tongue at her older brother, before huffing and turning away.

Trent chuckled to himself, as he continued down the sidewalk towards his school. Despite last night, and this morning, Trent was feeling pretty good about himself; in fact, his mood had lifted greatly.

Too bad it wouldn't last long.

* * *

Wow, this chapter took WAAAAY longer than it should have, sorry… I got writer's block. :/ I think this turned out alright, and since today was a snow day, I finally got into a groove and got it out! :D

Heh heh, so, what are your thoughts on Trent's family? I tried to make his family as non-cliché as I could, and sorry if he seemed a bit OOC, especially with his relationship with Amelia. :3 Isn't she _something. _;) Don't worry, this won't be the last of her, or his family.

Please, PLEASE review! It means _so _much to me! Bye for now, peeps!

~Alexex


	7. Payback Is In Order

Blah, sorry for the late update, I've been really busy; meaning, really lazy. I also got banned from the computer, which didn't help… But, I have my ways. ;)

Thanks for all the reviews, they make me feel all special. In other news, I just watched A Very Potter Musical as well as the sequel, and THEY ARE AMAZING! I LOVE THEM! They are hilarious, and just down right made of pure win. Draco, Voldemort, Ms. Umbridge, and Dumbledore were just so OOC it made laugh my ass off… Well done, well done. I seriously don't mind if you ditch this chapter and go youtube it right now. It's that. Fucking. Awesome.

Hehe, well, onto the much anticipated chapter!

* * *

Courtney never really became accustomed to the feeling of mind-numbing boredom, as she was normally kept quite busy with her advanced courses, and numerous extra-curricular activities. Although, _nothing _could be more boring than Mr. Williams droning on and _on _about English.

After listening to an annoying juvenile punk try to hit on her on numerous occasions, she had pretty much mastered the concept of blocking out major annoyances; in this case, it was idiotic ramblings.

It's not that she didn't _mind _Mr. Williams as a person; he was actually quite pleasant to be around out of the classroom. But, _during _his classes, he was completely off his rocker. Which, was exactly why she tuned out his lecture on whether _Romeo and Juliet_ was non-fiction or not.

Courtney lazily gazed around the room, as she examined her peers furiously jotting down notes as if Mr. Williams' lecture had actual credibility; she stifled a scoff and face palm at their utter stupidity. It was as if she was surrounded by total _morons._

The seconds ticked by, the pause in between each tick seeming to broaden with each one, and Courtney could feel scowl tug on her lips.

_Lips…_

She tentatively lifted her hand, and placed a couple fingers on her plump, pouting lips. They were dry, and rough; she was in desperate need of some chapstick.

_Or a certain someone to moisten them up…_

Courtney's smoldering onyx eyes snapped shut and her hands balled up into tight fists. Her breath got caught in the back of her throat, as images of messy black hair, turtle green eyes, and a dazzling smile flashed behind her lids. It…it _had_ been a while since she'd seen him. Or heard from him. Two weeks, and ten hours to be exact.

Her lips twitched into a slightly solemn frown. There was no use denying that she missed Trent. Craved him, actually. The softness of his raven locks under her fingers… The sweet scent of his cologne mixed with cinnamon, peppermint, and just _him. _His smooth, creamy, and gentle fingers coasting over her forbidden curves; Courtney had no idea _how _long she'd been held in such a way before he came along.

She mentally slapped herself for being so _weak. _It's not like she _needed _Trent, she was perfectly capable of snagging someone else with one flirtatious smirk.

She _wanted _Trent, and that's what was fucking _killing _her.

Her fingernails dug deep into her palms, leaving deep, half-moon crevices. Her teeth bit down on her bottom lip to the point of almost drawing blood. She was drowning in lust for the Easterner, and she knew it was rather sinful and naughty.

_Naughty, naughty, naughty._

She was student council president, for crying out loud! Her behaviour was _completely_ inappropriate. She couldn't just go sleeping around with a fucking Easterner-

Courtney froze mid thought, as her fists gave some slack and the grip on her lip lessened in intensity. To be honest, she hasn't _actually_ slept with him. An Easterner. Her _sworn _rival. So her offence wasn't as bad as she'd perceived it as; that still didn't make it right. _Nothing _about this whole goddamn situation was right. So why did it feel as though it was?

Deciding listening to her own thoughts was no longer an option, Courtney grumbled quietly to herself as she pulled her phone out from the pocket in her skirt. She couldn't help but feel her heart begin to race at the excitement that flooded her senses. Cell phones were absolutely forbidden during lessons…

Maybe a quick browse through her emails would help distract her. Courtney's thumb slid of the buttons of the device, as she accessed her email account. No new mail, of course.

Suddenly, the phone beneath her fingers began to vibrate as the words _NEW MESSAGE _flashed across the screen, startling her. Courtney knew she shouldn't open it, due to the risk of being caught and given detention. But…the temptation of finding out who sent her the message was also quite persuasive. Her conscious would kill her, but her curiosity triumphed overall.

Courtney opened the message, and her eyes widened as she read it; her heart pounding loudly in her chest.

11/17/2010, 10:47 a.m.

_Hey gorgeous, hows it goin? Im currently in calculus rite now, and bored outta my mind. Cant stop thinking about u, tho. ;) _

-TRENT

Courtney blinked a few times, waiting for the butterflies tickling her insides to subside enough for her to text back a decent reply, if she even found him _worthy _of one. I mean, how could he just _not _talk to her for two weeks, ten hours, and twenty-six minutes and expect things to just… continue on like nothing _happened! _

Her lips curled down into a small scowl, as she typed a reply and hit send.

11/17/2010, 10:51 a.m.

_Oh really? If you "can't stop thinking about me" why wait 2 weeks to talk to me! :(_

-COURTNEY

The next text she received took about five minutes, and she was grateful that she even got one. She was worried her snappy tone would drive him away; it drove many others away. But she couldn't help it! It was like a primal urge tugging on her instincts.

She opened the next message.

11/17/2010, 10:56 a.m.

_Sorry, ive been really busy lately, and my dad took away my car and phone privileges for a while cuz I got into a fight with my sister._

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 10:57 a.m.

_I see. How mature of you! :/ And wait, you have a sister?_

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 10:59 a.m.

_3, actually. Two older ones who are off to university :) and 1younger 1. She goes to Abbey Park._

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 11:00 a.m.

_Interesting. And isn't Abby Park an elementary school? You got into a fight with a little girl? -_- Oh lord.._

-COURTNEY

Courtney could pretty much picture that cute shade of crimson that crept onto his pale face when he was nervous or embarrassed as she read Trent's next response. She fought a smile, but couldn't help but oblige as her insides churned with excitement.

11/17/2010, 11:02 a.m.

_Hey! In my defense, shes a sneaky little devil and plays the "cute and inocent" facade like its Go-Fish. Wanna know what she did? She filled my guitar with hot chocolate mix, nd dad totally took her side for it, saying my "dumb and useless" guitr ruined his little "angels" hot chocolate mix. Agh, it's sooo annoying. Thankfully I have u to help me escape from the perils of real life. ;)_

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 11:03 a.m.

_You are SUCH a drama king. ;P_

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 11:03 a.m.

_Maybee. But im YOUR drama king. ;)_

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 11:04 a.m.

_Oh, and what does that make me? Your drama queen?_

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 11:05 a.m.

_Yep. :) So, wht class r u in, beautiful? Must be pretty boring 4 u to acknowlege my petty existence. :P_

-TRENT

The smile on Courtney's lips grew as she quickly typed a response. She felt her stomach do a flip as she felt like eyes were burning hole into her back. She quickly ripped her gaze off of her cellular device, and peered around the classroom. Her fellow classmates were focused on Mr. Williams' lesson, like she should have been, and utterly clueless to what she was doing, and that's how she intended on keeping it.

"…the fact that there is so much irony in this makes one wonder what Shakespeare was thinking of when he wrote this. Or…who he was following…"

Courtney rolled her eyes, before locking her gaze on the screen of her cell phone like before. A pair of equally dark eyes eyed the brunette up and down, as their lips formed a disdainful scowl.

_What is she up to…, _she thought, before flipping her long hair over her shoulder and ripping her glare off of her and plastering it on her notes.

11/17/2010, 11:09 a.m.

_Nothing remotely useful, just English class. Yawn. My teacher is a completely incompetent loon, so I do my best to tune out his teaching in hopes of keeping my sanity in tact. And your existence isn't petty._

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 11:11 a.m.

_Ah, English, I had that last semester. And its 11:11, quick make a wish ! :D_

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 11:11 a.m.

_Ugh, that stupid game? It's nothing more than pushing false hope. Wishes don't come true._

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 11:11 a.m.

_Oh yeah?Then how come I met you? i remember making a wish jus befor we met that id meet a beautiful, smart, and overall amazing girl. U made my wish come true. :) _

-TRENT

Courtney's heart skipped a beat, as she felt a blush coming on. He was just…so… _Damn _she'd end up getting a cavity from how sweet he was… Then again…it could be all an elaborate rouse. Just a ploy to get her to sleep with him, and then he'd toss her to the curb like trash. Like Alejandro did. They were both Easterners.

Courtney quickly glanced at the clock, realizing she only had about fifteen seconds left to make a wish. She quickly shut her eyes and bit her lip, oblivious to the skeptical gaze from an onyx-eyed viper.

_I wish for things with Trent to be real. For him to be different. For him to love me like I possibly might love him…_

11/17/2010, 11:12 a.m.

_For your information, I did end up making a wish… I guess that makes me a hypocrite. :/_

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 11:13 a.m.

_Hahaa, maybe. So, whatd u end up wishing for? :O_

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 11:13 a.m.

_Ah ah ah, nooo waaay. I'm not telling you. ;) If I do, it wont come true. And I REALLY want this wish to come true._

-COURTNEY

11/17/2010, 11:14 a.m.

_Meeeeehh..Kay. Soo…I miss u, like alot. I need to see your pretty face in person! D:_

-TRENT

"Aww…" Courtney cooed, before quietly gasping and covering her mouth. Her eyes darted around the room as her heart rate sped up with paranoia. A few people were staring at her with odd, questioning looks, before her eyes met a narrowed and malicious gaze, and she couldn't help but return it with a scoff.

"What are you up to, Winters?"

"None of your business, Heather!" Courtney hissed, keeping her voice quiet enough to still be heard, but not by Mr. Williams. She flickered her gaze in between both him and Heather, making sure to send her a fiery glare. Heather returned it with just as much fire, making their silent battle of stares begin to turn into an inferno; each of them waiting for the other to falter so they could pounce on their weakness like a hungry lioness.

"Oh, really? Well, I'll _make _it my business then…" She sneered, hungrily eying the device in Courtney's hands cruelly. Heather smirked, shifting in her seat so her malevolent gaze was focused on the front of the classroom, and Mr. Williams.

"I'll make it _everyone's _business…" She muttered bitterly, as Courtney eyed her curvy figure up and down with confusion, before her stomach dropped to her feet with mortification. Heather's arm darted upwards, as the haughty smirk upon her pale lips widened.

"You _wouldn't…_" Courtney whispered fiercely, though she knew full well that Heather would. Her level of bitchiness surpassed her own. Mind racing, Courtney quickly deleted Trent's number off of her contact list, as she heard Heather's voice ring out, "Oh Mr. Williams, I think Courtney has something to add. Oh, wait, she's to busy with her phone to notice your intellectual insight!"

"_What!_?" Mr. Williams bellowed, making not only Courtney, but also the rest of the class jump. Courtney's head snapped upwards and she felt her throat tighten as Mr. Williams' narrowed gaze pierced through her forehead. "Miss Winters. Is that true?"

"U-uh no! It's nothing, I wasn't…" Courtney stammered, feebly. She could feel her face beginning to heat up tremendously, as if her classmates' eyes were scorching her tanned skin.

"Oh yeah right, no one just stares at their crotch and smiles," Heather scoffed, before plastering on a snide smile, "unless you were pulling a Duncan of course, and were-"

"_Hey. _Shut your trap, ice bitch, before I shut it for you-" The ignorant punk with a green Mohawk grumbled, glaring fiercely at the raven-haired female with livid turquoise eyes. Courtney's jaw dropped with shock and utter humiliation, as the rest of the class began to laugh quietly.

"_Enough!_" Mr Williams exclaimed, silencing every one in the room. He waltzed over to Courtney's desk, and held out his palm expectantly. She reluctantly handed him her cell phone, shrinking back into her seat as he brought up the device to his wrinkled face.

"'I miss you, like a lot. I need to see your pretty face in person…'" He recited aloud, sparking hushed gasps and quiet conversations. Courtney blushed deeply, burying her face into her hands feeling terminal embarrassment.

"Miss Winters; it would be wise not to discuss personal matters during class time. You, and Mr. Evans will return here after school for detention."

The distant murmurs of fresh gossip became louder, and Courtney wished that the floor beneath her would just swallow her whole. How _embarrassing. _How stupid! How _unfair!_

"What? No! I have cheerleading practice, a-and, this will tarnish my perfectly _spotless _record-"

"The hell! I didn't even do anything, this is such bullshit, dumbass teacher-"

"Care to make it until the end of the week?" Mr. Williams challenged, shutting up the duo. "Then it's settled."

"Sir, I'm sorry, but I can _not _stay in a room alone with _him _for two hours." Courtney hissed, frostily. She sent Duncan a glare, which he couldn't help but smirk at despite the fire in his eyes.

"Psh, you say that like I'd actually _enjoy _your _sunshiny _ass trying to drown me in _school spirit _and _positive atmosphere._" He retorted, his gruff voice laced with enough sarcasm to drown in.

"Ugh! Well maybe if you weren't such a freaking _asshole all the time- _" Courtney yelled, before Mr. Williams' slammed his hands on the desk silencing the room one more.

"_ENOUGH! _Both of you; OUT! To the principal's office." He shouted, earning a wide-eyed stare from Courtney and an eye roll from Duncan. Before another argument could break out, he angrily pointed towards the door.

"NOW."

Courtney huffed as she quickly shoved her phone into her bag, put on her new favourite jacket, swung the bag over her shoulder, and began to storm towards the exit, with Duncan lazily on her heels. She snapped a glare in Heather's direction, narrowing it to a lethal squint as she grinned smugly in return. Heather brought a hand to her mouth as she engaged in a silent gasp, mouthing _Oops…_

_This isn't over, not by a __**long shot**__, _Courtney mouthed in return, before hastily exiting the classroom and storming her way down the hall towards the principal's office. Oh, that bitch has taken things too far. No doubt she'd be after her position as head cheerleader during her absence.

Courtney's hands balled up into tight fists; fists she _planned _on breaking Heather's _face _with later.

Payback will _definitely _be in order.

**~TrAiToR~**

11/17/2010, 12:03 p.m.

_Courtt..?_

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 2:38 p.m.

_Helloo?_

-TRENT

11/17/2010, 4:42 p.m.

_:( ?_

-TRENT

* * *

Whew! That's the fastest I've written a chapter in a while, and it's less horrible than I'd thought it would be! I hope it wasn't too cheesy, and I would really appreciate a review with your honest opinions. :)

It seems Duncan and Courtney will be alone for quite a while… Hmm, who knows where that'll lead? Who knows what will happen later in the fic! :O Well, besides me of course. ;) Heh, I don't even know. It could all change. Any guesses or suggestions?

I hope you looked at the times the messages were sent/received, they were kind of key for the ending. :P

I guess this is it, and hopefully the next update won't be too far away. Oh! I also need to get a job because my mom's birthday is coming up and I'm broke… I need to get a social insurance card and am praying I'm old enough. Though, quite a few people my age have jobs, I'm confused at how and when to look and apply. GAH, THE WORLD IS SO CONFUSING! Blah.

FINALLY, au revoir! I hope you had a nice family day! I see all you loyal reviewers and my fanfic friends as my family, so extra love to you **TrueJackVP408, bella-sk8ter, TheSocialLoner, Princess Absahail, **and many others! Sorry to those I did not mention, I am too lazy to write down your names. Don't worry, you're just as important too!

Lot's o' Love.

~Alexex.


	8. Have I Got A Story For You

Ugh, sorry for the lateness of this chapter. Writer's block's a bitch. All week, I was like "ARGH, I NEED TO UPDATE THIS! *flips tables*" It was very aggravating. You probably couldn't care less about my babbling, so I shall not waste any more of your time. On with the chapter

* * *

Courtney couldn't think straight.

Her heart was beating twice as fast as she swiftly made her way through the hallways, glaring down at the floor tiles beneath her shoes as if they had insulted her. She couldn't _believe _that she was being sent to the office, then later detention. She was lucky her parents were still on their business trip, or else she would've definitely gotten an earful.

This was all Trent's fault! Courtney's hands clenched as her shoulders tensed, and her eyes narrowed further, tears brimming the rims. If he abided school rules, like she did, maybe this wouldn't have happened! Maybe if she never even _went _to that stupid party things would be better. She wouldn't be in trouble, she wouldn't be covered in bruises, and she wouldn't constantly feel a pang in her heart every day he and she were apart.

Courtney picked up the pace of her walk, her eyes burning with hot tear. She quickly wiped them away with the back of her hand, as the lazy footfalls behind her got progressively louder. The fluorescent lights overhead illuminated the expansive halls, the echoes of her footsteps ringing through the silenced halls.

A knot formed and twisted through the brunette's stomach, as the dreadful feeling of punishment loomed nearer. The principal's office was just at the end of the hallway.

"Hey Princess, practicing your sob story for O'Halloran to try and weasel your was out of detention, like the little _keener _you are?" A voice as smooth as velvet coaxed, halting Courtney in her tracks. A scowl formed by pure irritation found its way forming onto her face, as she turned around, glaring fiercely into piercing teal eyes.

"Shut. Up." She replied, her voice in a deadly whisper; one packed enough venom to make any regular person's blood curdle. But she wasn't staring at a regular person. Far from it.

Standing before her, with an arrogant smirk upon his lips, was Duncan Evans; the school badass. His hair was as black as charcoal, and many said his heart was that dark as well; Courtney being one of them. The gist of it was short and cut close to his skull, but the front was long and gelled back into a fauxhawk. Despite how many scoldings the teachers and staff of Western Heights gave him, he still insisted on dying at least the tips of the fauxhawk neon green. He would've dyed the whole of it, if the stupid principal didn't threaten to expel him because of the fact that it "clashed" with the school uniforms. Not that he ever made an effort to keep his looking presentable. The royal red blazer bearing the school crest of an eagle had the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, the buttons on his white linen dress shirt were only done up to his chest, and his black and red tie hung loosely around his neck. Duncan wore jean skate shorts instead of the accustomed tan dress pants, and they were ripped at the knees, and adorned silver chains. Instead of black dress shoes, he wore dirty, red converse high tops, which were covered in dried up mud.

Despite his rugged clothing, his body was rather attractive. His face was defined and covered in piercings, and although he was quite toned and muscular, Duncan was one of the shorter guys in the school. He only had about two inches on Courtney.

Duncan stared back into Courtney's eyes, before his roamed her body, and made their way back up into her irises. Courtney's scowl deepened, before she huffed and turned around, walking fast; if not faster than before. Her shoulders were tight and her jaw was clenched, as her skirt billowed behind her. Duncan's smirk didn't waver as he stuffed his hands into his pocket, and began to follow Courtney.

"I wouldn't even be in this mess if you hadn't run off your mouth to Mr. Williams," she grumbled. "Why can't you just keep your big dumb mouth shut!"

"Oh, that's rich, coming from you." Duncan chuckled, earning a scoff from the brunette ahead of him.

Courtney froze when she reached the door to Miss O'Halloran's office. She took a deep breath, before holding up her arm to knock on the door. Before she could, Duncan shoved her out of the way rolling his eyes, and muttered, "Geez, you are such a tight-ass…" Courtney glared ferociously at the insolent delinquent, as she stumbled back a few steps.

"_What _is your _problem!_" She shrieked.

Duncan casually opened the door, and strolled in as if it was his bedroom, and not the office of the school administrator. Courtney gaped after him, frozen with shock. After a few seconds, the shock wore off and she glared menacingly. She poked her head into the open doorway, squinting to see through the dimly lit room. The principal, Miss O'Halloran, sat in a large leather swivel chair, behind a long mahogany desk littered with files, receipts, and nail polish bottles.

Miss O'Halloran was a fairly young woman. That's what she wanted everyone to think, anyway. She had a rounded face that was either scowling, or wearing a large, fake smile. Her eyes were sapphire blue; or at least her contact lenses were. And she had yellowish, golden blonde hair, despite her dark black eyebrows and roots. It was slicked back into a tight, professional looking bun to go with her formal attire which consisted of a black pencil skirt, black stilettos, nude pantyhose, a short sleeved linen button up dress shirt, and a royal red blazer bearing the school crest. Her neck was covered by large, red, glass pearls, and she had matching bracelets. Most of her fingers had assortments of jeweled rings, except for her left ring finger, showing that she had yet to be wed. Dangling from her ears, were diamond encrusted silver hoops, reflecting light onto her desk from the lamp nearby. She was nonchalantly painting her nails with silver nail polish, a tranquil expression painted across her face.

Duncan casually strolled over to a large leather chair, in front of Miss O'Halloran's desk, and leaned back comfortably.

"Mornin', Blaineley," he greeted, smirking slightly.

"Duncan," she acknowledged, not removing her gaze from her nails.

Courtney stared at this scene, utterly speechless. How could Duncan just _waltz _into the _principal's _office and greet her by her first name like they were _buddies! _And how could she just _let _him! Courtney awkwardly walked in and made her way over to the chair on the left hand side of Duncan. She sat down on the edge of the chair, and cleared her throat to try and grab the headmistress's attention.

"Uhm, excuse me-" Courtney began meekly, before Blaineley held up her free hand, silencing her. Duncan's smirk widened, as he shook his head condescendingly. He leaned over to Courtney's scrunching face.

"First rule of facing punishment; _never _interrupt O'Halloran's nail painting time." He whispered.

"Why?" Courtney whispered back, scowling. "She shouldn't even be painting her nails, anyway! She _should _be attending to important school matters!"

If Blaineley had heard them, she hadn't appeared as such. She merely finished off the second coat of nail polish, and screwed the lid back onto the bottle. She blew on her nails, before holding out each her hands for Duncan and Courtney to blow. Duncan blew without hesitation, while Courtney stared at the woman as if she were mad. For the first time, Miss O'Halloran's eyes met Courtney's obsidian ones. She raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow, her eyes narrowing skeptically, as she eyed Courtney up and down. Neither Blaineley, nor Courtney flinched, or moved a muscle. After a few tense moments of silence, as Courtney's scowl deepened, and Blaineley's skeptic gaze narrowed, the older woman slowly withdrew her hand, glaring harshly at the teenage brunette, her ice blue eyes as frigid as the tundra.

"You, just made… A _grandioso_ mistake, miss…?" She trailed off, as Courtney glared back.

"Winters. Courtney Winters." Courtney replied frostily, crossing her arms defiantly.

"Oh, I've heard of _you…_" Miss O'Halloran scoffed, scowling. "Student Council President. Head cheerleader. First chair violin. Debate team, Competitive Arts Committee, Councilor In Training, and Honour Roll Student…" She listed, her voice smoky and chilling. Courtney nodded as Duncan let out a scoff.

"Pfft, how could we _forget, _with her telling us every ten seconds…" He muttered.

Miss O'Halloran sent Duncan a soft smile, as Courtney crinkled up her nose in distaste. It was _disgusting_ how much she was favouring him. It was _disgusting _that _anyone _favoured Duncan Evans.

"Now, now, Duncan…" She warned, lightheartedly as Duncan smirked. "What is it this time?" She asked, changing the subject.

"The usual," he quipped, resting his arms behind his head.

"Alright. I guess I'll _have _to give you "detention" after school until five, does that work for you?" Miss O'Halloran asked, as she took out her daybook and a bright pink ballpoint pen.

"My schedule's free," shrugged Duncan, earning a grin from Blaineley.

"Perfect! And now you, miss…?" She trailed off, turning to the beyond livid Courtney.

"_Winters._" She sneered, as her tanned face flashed red.

Blaineley rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Now, considering your record is completely spotless, I should leave you off with a warning…"

Courtney's face lit up, as she concealed a loud cheer that was dying to escape her lips. "Oh, thank you Miss O'Halloran, thank-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Excuse me, but I believe I said I _should _give you a warning." Miss O'Halloran cut in, as the grin on Courtney's face instantly dropped, along with her stomach. "Not that I _would _give you a warning. You will serve detention until five this evening with Duncan, no excuses. Now I believe you've both over stayed your welcome. Toodloo." She continued, waving them off with a flick of the wrist, a light smirk dancing upon her rouged lips.

Courtney could feel her blood boil, as she hastily stood up and collected her things, resisting the urge to lunge across the desk and strangle the living the daylights out of the so-called 'principal'. She grumbled under her breath as she marched out of the room, slamming the door behind her with enough force to make a few photos hanging on the wall shake and hang horizontally. Duncan raised his eyebrows at the display, before letting out a low whistle.

"Wow that girl has issues," he remarked, quietly. But one couldn't help but notice the slightly impressed tone in his voice, and the light smile on his lips.

Miss O'Halloran sent Duncan a warm, motherly smile before pulling out a make up bag and beginning to powder her nose.

"Sorry Dunky, you've got to get to third period…" She droned, condescendingly. Duncan scowled and crossed his arms.

"Do I have to?" He whined.

"Yes. Now get outta here, you little scamp," she smiled as Duncan sent her a weak smirk. He got up and left Blaineley's office, shutting the door behind him.

**~TrAiToR~**

Trent tiredly and bleakly stared at the girls in front of him, as they jumped and twirled about, no doubt practicing for the big championship game against Western Heights. His last period of the day was a spare, meaning he was free to leave, work on something school related, or just hang out. But alas, all his homework was finished, the bus wouldn't be showing up for another hour and a half, and he had left his guitar at home. So, here he was; watching girls in short shorts flexibly dance around. A scene like that would normally drive him, along with the rest of the male population mad. But this one just made him sick. The only thing on his mind was Courtney.

God, he missed her. He missed her fiery spirit, and how when they touched, he felt as if he were fanning flames. He missed her smile, her voice, her…everything. And the fact that she had stopped texting him a long while ago, only made him miss her more.

What had caused this abrupt ending to their conversation? Was it something he had said? They seemed to be getting along pretty well, Trent thought. Or hoped, at least…

He let out a sigh as his fingers ran through his thick black hair, before he rested his hand in his lap. The Eastwood cheerleaders had formed a towering human pyramid, a beautiful blonde holding up her leg above her head with one hand, and the other extended symmetrically accentuating the top of the pyramid. A broad smile had formed on her lips as her muscles contracted, trying to prolong the formation. Her golden locks were slicked back into a long, flowing ponytail that graciously swept her back, and her extremely well toned body was covered by a low cut coral coloured tank top, and grey short shorts. She wore fluorescent orange socks on her feet; one clutched in her extended hand, then other gripped around the ankle to hold her steady at the top of the pyramid. Her full lips were glossy, and shimmering with sparkles under the incandescent lighting of the gymnasium, and her eyes were as blue as the sky. They scanned the vacant bleachers, before meeting piercing green ones. Hers flickered with interest, as her smile grew. Trent's lips curled up minisculely.

Time seemed to be moving in slow motion, as blue orbs bored into green ones, neither breaking the connection. The seconds glided over their heads, and the silence and stillness of the room was deafening. Before it shattered; the blonde falling back into a cradle as her fellow cheerleaders caught her falling figure, breaking the connection.

Trent's gaze lingered on where she had once been, before his eyes widened and he hastily glared down at his lap. What the hell was _that? _He clenched his hands into fists and snapped his eyes shut. How could he be so weak, and disgusting? To even _look _at another woman when he had a girlfriend!

Or did he…? He was really unsure about his relationship with Courtney… He knew he missed her like hell, but did she feel the same? That was the question that was gnawing up his insides.

"Alright, girls, awesome job! Same time tomorrow, okay?" The blonde beauty chirped, earning smiles, nods, and murmurs of agreement from the rest of the cheerleaders. The mass of girls slowly disbanded, leaving her alone. She made her way over to the bench where a bright pink gym bag lay, and she collected her things. When she bent over to pick up her water bottle, it took every inch of Trent's willpower not to stare. A light, innocent smile was on her lips as she made her way over to the bleachers. Trent's eyebrows rose in surprise, as he looked around nervously, before biting his lip as he noticed that he was the only one in the bleachers. Shit.

"Hi," she greeted casually, sending a dazzling smile in his direction.

"Hey," Trent replied, politely. He tried his hardest to return the smile, but it came out as more of a grimace. The girl was unfazed, or just didn't notice.

"So, did you see my machine?" She asked, her grin widening.

Trent furrowed his brow, and stared at her confusedly.

"What?"

"I said, did you like our routine?" She beamed.

Trent smiled crookedly, before scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. He must not have been paying attention.

"Oh, yeah… It was great…" He said, pursing his lips. Sure, the routine was choreographed quite well, but Trent couldn't help but think that a certain hotheaded brunette's was better.

The blonde girl smiled, oblivious to Trent's uneven tone, and searched for his eyes. Trent did his best to avoid them.

"Oh, that's great, _so _glad to hear someone likes my routine! Ha, we're totally gonna _crush _West Term Lights!" She squealed.

"Don't you mean Western Heights?" Trent questioned, raising an eyebrow.

She stared at him blankly for a few seconds, as she processed what he had told her, before she frowned and smacked herself in the head.

"Ugh, I'm so stupid! I can never remember the name… I'm sorry, you must think I'm a real Lindsiot now… I-I'll… I'll leave you be." She said sorrowfully, before turning and heading towards the door.

Trent knew he'd regret it later, but he couldn't stop himself once the words had formed on his tongue.

"Wait!" He called after here. The girl froze, before slowly turning and facing Trent. He offered her a small smile, letting his curiosity get the better of him. "Lindsiot? What…?" He trailed off, before she smiled sadly and walked back over to him.

"It's what my friend's call me, 'cause I'm kinda…really dumb. My name's Lindsay, so they combine Lindsay with idiot, and they get 'Lindsiot'. It's really clever. I-I didn't get it at first." She replied, bashfully, her eyes set on the floor. Trent furrowed his brow empathetically.

"Oh, well… Um, hey, Lindsay, if they call you names like that, then they're not real friends." He smiled.

Lindsay lifted her gaze from the floor, and met Trent's eyes. They flickered again, with the same amount of interest she'd shown when she was on the top of the pyramid. A small, appreciative smile tugged on her lips, and Trent couldn't help but return it.

"Thanks… What's your name?" She asked.

"Trent," he replied.

"Trent…." She repeated softly to herself, before she sent him a radiant smile. "I like that name…" She murmured.

Trent shifted uneasily in his seat, fully aware that Lindsay was coming onto him. He knew he had to tell her that he was taken, so he wouldn't lead her on… But another feeling; a tiny voice in his head, told him not to. Trent bit his lip, contemplating what to say, before he settled on what was right.

"Lindsay, I'm flattered that you…um, like my name, but… I'm already spoken for." He mumbled, sending her an apologetic smile.

Lindsay furrowed her waxed eyebrows in confusion. She tilted her head to the side like a dog, and Trent couldn't help but admit it made her look kinda cute. Like an overgrown little girl, trapped inside a woman's body.

"Like, what do you mean?"

Trent sighed, and bit his lip. "Lindsay, I have a girlfriend."

Lindsay's cute and innocent demeanor instantly morphed to one of disappointment and sadness. She frowned, and Trent pursed his lips into a thin line. She forced out a smile, but Trent could sense the hurt and discontent in her deep blue eyes easily.

"Oh…bummer…" She muttered, swinging her bag over to other shoulder to try and make it more comfortable. She blinked, and Trent felt like he'd been punched in the gut when he saw a tiny drop of liquid slide down her cheek. "She's a real lucky girl, then. You seem like, really nice."

Trent brushed off her compliment, ignoring the buzzing thoughts of Courtney for a little while. He tentatively reached out and gently cupped her face, his lips slightly parted in wonder of how smooth her skin was; like Courtney's…

Lindsay slowly looked up and met his eyes, hers widening in confusion and contempt. Trent tenderly brushed away any lingering tears with his thumb, watching her Caucasian cheeks redden beneath his fingers.

"Hey…" He murmured. "We can still be friends."

Lindsay broke out into a grin, and giggled quietly, wiping away any tears that spilled out of her eyes. She brought Trent's hand down and away from her face with her own, and brushed his knuckles with her fingers. There was no spark. No anything.

"Thanks Brent, that's really sweet of you. She pulled out a pink pad of sticky notes, and a purple gel pen from her bag. She scribbled down her cell phone number, and wrote down her name in large, swirly script. She handed it to Trent, smiled at him, and then she was out the door. Trent stared after her. No butterflies. No anything.

His green-eyed gaze landed on the pink slip of paper clutched in his hand. Trent tried to scowl at it, but his face stayed blank and expressionless. He tried to crumple the note, and crush any ties with the beautiful blonde; but his hand lay still and lifeless. Instead, he found himself pocketing the slip of paper. He glared, and shook his head, disgusted with himself. The buzzing thoughts of Courtney returned, if not louder than ever. Trent let out a long sigh, and cradled his head in his hands. He needed to see Courtney. Badly.

So it was settled. He'd go home, get his car, and drive to Courtney's. Her parents were gone, so seeing her wouldn't be a problem at all.

Or so he thought.

**~TrAiToR~**

Courtney nervously collected her things for home, and sighed shakily. Her…in detention… It was a crime against nature! She slowly shut her locker, before shutting her eyes and leaning against it; her head slamming against the lockers. The cool metal sent shivers down her spine; shivers that she missed. Shivers that strong, caring hands sent all over her body as they caressed it.

Trent… If she could have, she would have apologized for not texting him back, and for losing her temper and thinking bad thoughts about him. But she'd keep those thoughts to herself.

The halls were emptying, and only those with after school activities remained by their lockers. Courtney watched as Heather strut by, feeling extremely content with herself. She was in her normal gym attire, which consisted of black spandex short shorts, a bright yellow sports bra showing off her midriff, matching bright yellow and white polka dot socks, and grey and purple Puma™ sneakers. Her normally hateful eyes were eased by smugness, and the smirk on her lips grew as she noticed Courtney's scowl. No doubt she was happy that she got to lead practice, in hopes of stealing Courtney's spot as head cheerleader.

Courtney's scowl deepened, as a few tears leaked out of her eyes. She sniffled, and wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve… She froze as she pulled away her arm. It was the sleeve of Trent's that had wiped away her tears. She instantly felt better; just the mere thought of him wiping away her tears brought longing to her soul. She missed him, no matter how much she wouldn't admit it. Courtney snuggled herself deeper into the jacket, feeling the will to get out of detention and just so she could call him and hear his voice again. That thought alone gave her enough strength to walk down the halls towards the gloomy looking detention room, ignoring the eyes of her fellow students to the best of her ability.

The halls seemed to less and less bright, the further Courtney trekked down towards the detention room. She flinched at any noise that occurred in the otherwise silent hallway, and picked up her pace to try and subdue the feeling of anxiousness eating away at her insides.

She entered the room without hesitation, her eyes strictly on the floor as she found a seat relatively close to the front of the room. She slid into the chair, and set down her belongings, and took a deep, calming breath. It was fine, she told herself. It would all be fine. Courtney lifted her gaze from the tagged and graffitied desk, her eyes landing on the black board in front of her. In white chalk, the rules of detention were written.

**RULES OF DETENTION**

**1. No talking**

**2.** **No leaving the room unless given permission**

**3. Detention is not over until properly dismissed**

Well that's just fucking _perfect, _there isn't even a _teacher _to supervise them. Courtney leaned over the desk and rested her elbow on it, before miserably setting her chin in her palm. This must be how jail felt like.

As if on cue, the jailbird himself waltzed into the room like he owned the place, the everlasting smirk still painted across his striking face. He walked in without a care in the world, closely followed by a sallow, skinny girl with teal streaks in her jet-black short hair, which swooped under her chin. Her eyes were bored and had an air of mystery about them that Courtney couldn't care less about. They seemed shallow and dark, if you asked her. The teal headed girl barely filled out her uniform, the button-up shirt rolled up to her elbows with much room to spare around her pale upper arms. She had dark blue lips, that looked as if they had a terrible case of frostbite, and a scowl that seemed to be as frigid as such. Her red and black plaid skirt was wrinkled and fastened up with a big, black, leather belt to prevent the article of clothing from sliding down her narrow and curveless waist. Her ears were sporting large skull and cross bone earrings, with matching rings taking up most of her black nail polished fingers. With each step she took, and quiet thud emitted from her knee high black combat boots. Underneath those were fishnet stockings, which were _definitely _not a part of the school uniform, but she really didn't seem to give a damn. She took a seat in the furthest corner of the room away from Courtney, and submerged herself in doodling aimlessly in an extremely full sketchpad. Courtney hated her already.

Behind her, was a girl the complete opposite appearance wise. She was quite heavyset, and shapely. Her school uniform seemed tight and constricting due to her large hindquarters and bust. Her arms large and she had a French manicure, and she wore lots of loud and contrasting necklaces. Her dark skin was the colour of milk chocolate, and her eyes were a dark brown. Her hair was long and tied back in a billowing ponytail, and her face sported a distasteful glare. She glared at Courtney over her large crooked nose, making even the abrasive student council president sink uneasily in her seat. Her dark eyes were heavily made up, making them smoky and alluring, and she had a sassy bounce in her step. She took a seat next to the pale, scowling girl, and chewed obnoxiously on a piece of gum, staring out the window.

Duncan was the only one left standing in the room, and Courtney was not the only who noticed this; Teal-head was glaring at her, and Bubblegum was eying her as if she had three heads. Courtney felt uneasy under their piercing gazes; but neither compared to the extremely intense blue-eyed stare Duncan was giving her. She stared up at him, as he towered over her, his lips pursed into a thin line, only the ghost of a smirk upon them. His eyes narrowed, examining her, and Courtney scowled up at him in defiance.

"'Scuse me, sweetheart, but it seems that you're sitting in _my _seat," Duncan drawled, cutting through the tense silence.

Courtney sent the punk standing before him a bold glare, before crossing her arms across her chest, ignoring to the best of her ability the other two females in the room. The only thing she was focused on was Duncan's deep and dominant blue eyes. They were so blue…almost teal. Like the still, peaceful surface of a lake…drowning. Drowning in the pureness of the blue of his- Courtney shook her head, as a shocked and disgusted expression appearing on her face. What the hell was _that? _How could she let herself stare _adoringly _into _his _teal vats of toxic waste that he called _eyes, _when she had a boyfriend!

Or did she…? True, he may have texted her today, but he hadn't even made an effort to try and see her or anything for _two weeks! _…But he was grounded, so did that really count? Yes, Courtney thought angrily, yes it did! Trent shouldn't have gone and gotten himself in trouble knowing that she barely got to see him when he was _unpunished! _Ugh, did he ever think of anyone but himself!

Courtney, realizing she hadn't said anything for quite a while, blushed slightly, before she cleared her throat.

"Oh really?" She challenged. Her eyes met Duncan's again, his smirking widening and her glare narrowing. "Well, I don't see your _name _on it."

Duncan leaned over across her lap, as Courtney's face contorted in surprise and disgust. Courtney could feel the burning glare of the teal headed pale girl on the back of her head, but she brushed it off as Duncan smirked at her.

"Well, if you look real closely babe, you'll see where I carved my name there sophomore year." He whispered, huskily. His breath smelt like alcohol, with an appealing spearmint relish. Courtney turned her head to the right and followed his gaze, narrowly missing the glare sent by the sketching girl, and the smug smirk Duncan sent her. She turned away with a huff and feverishly drew in her sketchbook, a scowl accentuating her pointed face. Duncan's smirk grew, before he turned back to Courtney, ignoring the disapproving glare the large girl sent him easily.

To Courtney's chagrin, there was indeed a carving of Duncan's name on the desk. She turned back to him and scoffed.

"Please, vandalism doesn't make the desk _yours, _criminal. It is school property, therefore, usable by any of the student body." She stated, highly. Courtney heard the two other girls snort, and narrowed her eyes at her desk, trying to ignore them.

Duncan stared at her for a few seconds, before leaning in close to Courtney; too close for her comfort. She drew in a sharp intake of breath as she leaned into the back of her chair and away from Duncan, but only managing a mere five inches.

"Well, darling, the only student _body _I'm interested in, is yours…" He murmured flirtatiously, as Courtney stared at him appalled.

Finally, the teal headed girl spoke. "Wow Duncan, subtlety certainly isn't one of your many _skills, _now, is it?" She grumbled irritably, clenching the pencil in her hand a little too tightly. "Along with being a half-decent boyfriend," she added in an undertone. The girl beside her laughed.

The playful smirk on Duncan's face dropped to an irritated scowl. He turned to the pale girl, and forced a smirk despite his glaring icy eyes.

"Oh, no. No, no, _no. Don't _you go pulling that bullshit with me, Pasty." He sneered.

"Pasty" sent a venomous glare at him, and bared her teeth. "Shut. UP! SHUT UP! You have _no _right to call me that anymore, you bastard! It's Gwen to you, say it right, or don't speak to me at all! I'd be _quite_ _comfortable_ with the latter, so fuck off." She grumbled, tearing her gaze away from the punk and resuming her sketching. The large girl hummed and nodded in agreement, before going about her business.

The room fell into an awkward silence, as Duncan scowled at Gwen while she promptly ignored him, keeping her eyes glued on the rapidly filling paper. Duncan snorted, and seated himself on Courtney's desk, as her face flushed nervously. Too close, she thought. She missed Trent, and this wasn't helping her keep her mind on him at all.

"Psh. Whatever." Duncan harrumphed, rolling his eyes dramatically. They landed on Courtney, and flickered with interest. Courtney's didn't flicker at all. In fact, they glared hastily. Duncan ignored this, or just didn't notice, as his notorious smirk returned. "So, what's your name, gorgeous?"

Courtney's eyes traveled to the floor. The last time she'd been called gorgeous was by Trent…

"You know very well what my name is," Courtney mumbled.

"Yeah, 'course he does, girl, with you tellin' us every _five _minutes," snorted the large girl as she examined her French manicure. Courtney scowled at her.

"'Shawna… Be nice." Duncan warned, smirking slightly. The girl known as Shawna rolled her eyes, before returning the smirk. Gwen glared at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Whatevah, scrawny chicken legged boy." She shot back good-naturedly.

"As if, Loudmouth LeShawna, Big Loud and _Proud_ herself." Duncan chuckled. He sighed contently as LeShawna laughed to herself, before his focus was on Courtney again. She desperately wished he'd leave her alone. "_Anyway, _yeah, I know who you are, and I bet you know who I am too; I mean, who _doesn't? _So, which is why you and me are going to go out Saturday, and make sure no one forgets how well known we are, got it babe? Good." He smirked, and before Courtney could blink twice Duncan had lifted up the sleeve of her jacket, scribbled down his name and number down on her arm in permanent marker, and leaned in to kiss her. Before his pierced lips could meet Courtney's utterly shocked one, she jammed a hand in between their faces and shoved his face away, making him slide off the desk. LeShawna burst out laughing, and even Gwen held back a few chuckles as she struggled to suppress a smile. Duncan got up and stared at Courtney bewildered and shocked, as Courtney glared and shoved her sleeve back down.

"You-you…" She had sputtered, teeming with rage. "I HAVE A BOYFRIEND, YOU PIG!"

Duncan stared at her, before resting his hands on the desk separating them. His eyes slowly narrowed, and Courtney felt a twinge of fear. His fists clenched, before relaxing as he sighed.

"Oh yeah? 'Never seen him around. You're always alone in the halls, no guy around you at all…" He grunted. This seemed to spark both Gwen and LeShawna's attention, as their intrigued gazes fell on Courtney. Her mouth was as dry as sand paper.

"Uh… I, um…" Courtney stammered nervously. She squirmed around uneasily in her seat as Duncan, Gwen, and LeShawna's gazes all narrowed on her suspiciously. If they found out that she was betraying the entire school by dating an Easterner, it wouldn't be pretty for neither her, nor Trent. For one, it would end their relationship, which is something Courtney didn't want to think about. Secondly, they'd face unmentionable punishments from their schools, and thirdly, she'd lose her spot on every club, society, and team she'd been on. She'd be a social pariah.

"I…I lied." She spoke, breaking the silence. Her eyes avoided his at all costs, and with each word exiting her mouth, the panging feeling in her heart intensified. "I _don't_ have a boyfriend. I-I lied..."

Duncan smirked, seeming pleased with this answer. But LeShawna eyed her apprehensively as Gwen's once intrigued eyes returned to their normal cold, glaring state. Courtney heaved a mental sigh of relief, as she bit her lip.

"Perfect…" Duncan drawled, leaning in close to Courtney's face. The once appealing minty scent that masked the reek of alcohol was now suffocating and sickening. "Call me then, sweetlegs, and any need for an _imaginary _boyfriend will be gone." He smirked, before strolling out the detention room without another word. Courtney glanced at the clock, and sure enough, it was five o'clock. Gwen and LeShawna had already left, leaving Courtney alone, and very, _very _ashamed of herself.

Dirty, _filthy_, traitor indeed.

**~TrAiToR~**

By the time Courtney had gotten her stiff legs to move, collected her things, and left the classroom, the school was completely deserted; inside and out. She shoved her way out of the main doors, shivering as the chilly November air met her skin. It whipped her hair around and turned her cheeks pink, as what little sunlight was left blinded her pupils. She squinted her eyes as she made her way down the walkway and towards the student parking lot. Suddenly, she froze where she was, shocked. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened.

There, in the parking lot next her car was another one. With Trent, sitting on the hood of it, grinning at her. Courtney broke out into a sprint, grinning from ear to ear, before she tackled Trent toppling on top of them and slamming both of them into the windshield. Trent chuckled at her, as she hugged him tightly, unable to repress the large smile on her lips. He wrapped his arms securely around her, resting his forehead against the top of her head, as Courtney squeezed him tightly, savoring every inch of his warm, strong body. _This _wasn't imaginary. _This_ was real.

"But- You- How-" She sputtered, unable to mask away her overflowing happiness.

"Just got it back after school," Trent chuckled, beginning to rub small circles in her lower back. "Dad said I should take it for a spin, to refresh myself. I said I'd drive down to Cody's place and hang for a while, but… I think this seemed more appropriate."

"You lied…for me?" She gasped, staring up into the gorgeous green eyes she'd missed. Trent barely had enough time to say 'Of course,' before Courtney's lips were pressed against his making each of their stomach's flip with excitement. Courtney shrugged off Trent's jacket, aching for more contact with the raven-haired musician, as he cupped her face, deepening the kiss with more passion than he'd felt in a long time. Butterflies erupted in his stomach. _She _was everything. Courtney's hands roamed Trent's chest, before falling limply onto his lap; she felt something brush her knuckle, and she opened her eyes slightly. Her brow furrowed as her stomach did a nervous little flip, as Trent's lips continued to caress her own, unaware that she'd stopped returning the favour. She reached into his pocket, making Trent jump and pull away.

Courtney pulled out a pink slip of paper, her eyes darting over it, examining it closely, her brow still furrowed in confusion. Any expression on Trent's instantly face vanished. His heart dropped into his stomach. He avoided Courtney's eyes, looking somewhere- anywhere but her face; and before long, they landed on the writing on Courtney's other arm. His hand grabbed her wrist, lifting her arm up to eye level. It was her turn for any expression to be wiped from her face.

Apart from the howling wind, it was silent. Courtney staring at the pink piece of paper, shock and hurt etched onto her face, and Trent the same. Slowly, they met each other's gaze, and to Trent's dismay, tears were brimming in Courtney's eyes.

"W-who's Lindsay?" She asked shakily, as Trent did the same with Duncan. Trent racked his brain for an excuse; _any _excuse that sounded reasonable, given the circumstances. Telling her the truth wasn't an option, as he knew someone like Courtney would never, ever believe him.

"She's…just some girl I've started to tutor in math. She gave me her number so we could set up sessions." Trent mumbled. Courtney wiped away and tears that had formed, hope shimmering in them now.

"Really?"

"Yes," he answered a little too quickly.

Courtney stared at him, as if trying to find dishonesty on his face, before she stared down at her lap. "I-is she pretty?" She asked, quietly.

That question had really thrown Trent off. He furrowed his brow and looked at her as if she'd just announced she was going to tap-dance her way to the moon. In truth, Lindsay really was pretty, but nothing compared to Courtney.

"No, of course not…" He murmured, cupping Courtney's face the same way he had done with Lindsay, and forced her to look at him. She met his eyes shyly. "No one, could ever compare to your radiance and beauty, Courtney. Ever. Now… who's Duncan?"

Courtney bit her lip, and sighed. "He's no one, he asked me out and before I could even answer he wrote down his number on my arm when we were in detention. I have _no _interest in him whatsoever." She muttered.

"Detention?" Trent asked, furrowing his brow.

At this Courtney laughed, and lightly punched Trent in the chest. "Yeah, _detention. _Thanks to _you, _texting me in class!"

"Sorry…" He winced, a slight chuckle heard in his voice. The duo stared at each other for a few moments, before embracing, unable to stay mad at each other for long.

Sunset faded into twilight, and then to evening skies. Trent laid on his back, with Courtney snuggled up against his chest. The pair stayed like that for quite a while, staring aimlessly up at the starry sky as Courtney drew random patterns into Trent's chest with her pointer finger, and he rubbed her back soothingly, having not forgotten the bruise that still branded her body.

"Hey Trent…?" Courtney murmured tiredly, after what seemed like hours.

"Yeah?" Trent replied, softly.

"Promise me this is real. What we have together. That it's not just some perfect dream, waiting for me to wake up and fall back into the harshness of reality." She yawned.

Trent's warm hand shifted up to her chin, tilting it upwards to their eyes could meet; he sent her an equally warm smile.

"I promise," he whispered kissing the top of her head.

Meanwhile, eyes widened behind a computer screen as the scene was caught on tape by security cameras. A slow, malicious smirk spread across their face, as they quickly clicked the save button, saving the scandalous footage and pictures.

Hands, shaking with adrenaline and excitement, quickly found an old, flip-top cell phone in a pile of disks, video game cases, and encyclopedias, and punched in a number so quickly one's surprised the phone didn't break.

"Sierra…," breathed a drawling, snarky voice. "Have _I _got a story for you…"

* * *

Man, this turned out WAY, WAAAAY longer than it was supposed to. It was supposed to be 3 000 words max, but gosh dang it! You guys have just been waiting so long, and I'm sorry I took so long to update! I've been busy, and my internet has been acting funny lately. But now it's fixed, hopefully!

Oh ho ho, a possible love… Pentagon has been formed between Lindsay, Trent, Courtney, Duncan, and Gwen! …Don't ask me, I have NO clue where the fuck THAT came from. I knew I wanted a love triangle, _possibly _a square… BUT A PENTAGON? WHAT? Thoughts on it?

Also, who do you think that was at the end? I know, but I ain't tellin'. ;) I tried to make it not _too _obvious. What do you think will happen with him!

Also, what happened to Geoff and Bridgette? What's going on with Alejandro? Will this be the last of Duncan and Lindsay? What about LeShawna and Gwen! AND BLAINELEY? Answers will come in due time, my friends.

Wow, look how long this author's note is turning out. I'll try and wrap this up. On my profile you can find the links to the new Trentney forum and community I made! All thanks to TrueJackVP408 recommend it be ME who starts it! Apparently I'm the Queen of Trentney, says most of you on my poll. :P Pay us a visit…IF YOU'VE GOT THE GUTS. Hehe.

Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW, IT WOULD MEAN THE WORLD TO ME! This chapter was really hard to write, and I wasn't too happy with the ending, Lindsay and Trent's encounter, and the detention scene… :/ The only thing I really liked was Duncan and Blaineley's little relationship. I really think she liked him during the Aftermath due to all the drama he caused, and definitely think she'd spoil him. ;) Think otherwise? Then give me some suggestions!

I am going to now conclude this note, because it is now over a page long. Oops…

Goodnight everyone, as it is almost midnight up here in Canada… Where I am, anyway… Remember to review!

XOXO, Alexex!


	9. Let's Go Finish That

Hey guys, how's it hangin'? I have awesome news! A fanfiction author who goes by the name of Theater of The Mind has offered to do fanart for this fic! She sent me some rough sketches of Courtney and Trent by themselves, and they were SO good! Way better than my crappy drawing. Yeah, so shout outs to her. :P Many of you guessed that it was Heather at the end of the last chapter, but it couldn't possibly be her, she'd just be finishing up cheerleading practice. ;) Well, onwards, I suppose!

* * *

"Where have you been, Trent? Its almost midnight!" His mother cried, as her mop-headed son walked in, a bit ruffled from the wind, and _other _activities, arriving ten minutes after curfew. He sent his mom an apologetic glance, mumbling a feeble "sorry" before brushing past his pajama-adorning mother, much to her shock and hurt.

Trent let out a yawn, ruffling his hair, the aspect of sleep becoming that much more inviting. His lips were starting to become a bit chapped, but the residue of her mango-flavoured lip-gloss was still faintly smeared across his lips and numerous parts of his face and neck. He cherished them as a war hero cherished his battle scars. But alas, come morning, they'd be gone, as well as the essence of _her _flooding his nostrils and clouding his senses. Trent was too busy reminiscing to notice that his mother was speaking to him. He furrowed his brow and spun on his heel to face her suspicious gaze.

"Uh, pardon?" He asked, shaking his head a little to try and clear some of the haze.

Her green eyes; ones that were almost identical to her son's, narrowed as she placed her hands on her rather large hips. The official Mom look of suspicion. Trent uneasily ran his fingers through his knotted mass of raven locks, avoiding his mother's intense gaze the best he could. She silently began to approach him, as his heart thundered against his ribcage, as he gnawed on his bottom lip apprehensively.

"I asked you where you've been, Trent." She repeated curtly, causing her son to flinch. Jenny hardly ever used a harsh tone, but in times of need, she did; only making Trent's uneasiness increase tenfold.

"Oh…uh, I met with a friend…" He replied as nonchalantly as he could.

"What friend?" She challenged, narrowing her gaze slightly.

"Cody," Trent muttered. He nervously looked up to meet the eyes of his mom, praying for them to soften up. They did faintly, and it took all of his self-control not to sigh in relief. Jenny eyed him up and down, trying her best to detect any hints of dishonesty, before she sighed, and combed her fingers through her matted heap of cascading curls. Trent visibly relaxed.

"I'm sorry, baby. It's just… You worried me, hon. You've been missing curfew a lot lately, I'm starting to get concerned…" She murmured, frowning slightly. Trent's brow furrowed, as Jenny wrapped her arms around his neck protectively, burying her face into his broad shoulder, just being able to reach it comfortably. Trent felt himself melting into her maternal embrace the same way he had melted into Courtney's less than twenty minutes ago, as he wrapped his arms around her waist. He was about to tell her that everything was fine, until he felt the older woman stiffen in his grasp. Trent's stomach instantly plummeted as Jenny pulled away so their eyes could meet, her slightly lined face scrunched up in concentration.

"What…is that smell? Is that perfume?" She questioned.

Trent's eyes widened, his heart playing a cruel rhythm within his chest, as his mother's confused gaze penetrated his mask of nonchalance.

Courtney's perfume must have clung onto his clothes.

_Shit, shit, shit! _

"Uh… Cody and I hit the mall, and he thought it would be funny to spray me with perfume samples as we made our way through the department store towards the food court." He replied, sending her a lazy half-smile. Jenny eyed him skeptically, before pursing her lips. Her green irises narrowed once again, as she studied Trent's face with a hard stare. She tentatively reached out her hand to caress Trent's pale cheek, furrowing her brow when a sticky pale rose substance came of onto her fingers.

Before she could ask Trent any more questions, he slid away from his mom, nervously biting his lip.

"Uh, I-I'm really tired and I think I'm going to go to bed. I have school in the morning, and all that jazz…" He stuttered. He quickly made his way down the hallway and up the stairs, forcing himself not to sprint. As soon as he was safe inside his room, Trent shut his eyes and leaned against the door, before sliding down it into a sitting position. He let out a sigh, running his hand down his face. That was close. Too close. A few moments of silence passed, before Trent was on his feet and stripping himself of his clothes, and trading them for a pair of pajama bottoms and a t-shirt that was for four sizes too big for him. He dragged his feet along the floor, before letting out a sigh as he collapsed onto his bed, his green eyes fluttering closed as he drew the covers around his frame. And before long, sleep overtook him, thoughts of Courtney and his mother swirling around in his subconscious.

**~TrAiToR~**

Trent awoke with a start the next morning, sheen of cold sweat glistening against his forehead. Trent blinked away the fuzziness in his eyes, as shallow startled breaths escaped his lips. The muffled patter of water tapping against his window was an indicator of the inclement and melancholy weather outside. He tiredly sat up and pushed some of his unruly hair out of his eyes, sighing. The temptation of crawling back under the covers and letting sleep take over his weary body once more was overwhelming, but, alas, he got up, a sleep-deprived scowl accentuating his features.

He had had the worst sleep in a while, and his normally laid back mood was suffering for it. Trent scowled and rubbed the back of his lids, before stumbling over to his closet to set out a clean pair of clothes. He pulled out a clean, white linen dress shirt, his green school blazer, a pair of tan dress pants, and is black dress shoes. He gazed at the clothes on his bed scowling, before huffing as he left his room to head to the bathroom for a quick shower.

His younger angel of a sister stood upon a stepladder so she could reach the counter and sink. Her bright green eyes were slightly droopy from sleep, yet still had that everlasting spark of ferocity. Amelia was brushing her teeth, being cautious of the spaces left from teeth collected by the tooth fairy, and she narrowed her eyes at the appearance of her brother in the bathroom mirror. She leaned over the sink to spit out a mouthful of berry-flavoured toothpaste as Trent began to take out his daily sundries.

"Amelia, hurry up, I need to have a shower." Trent sighed, sending his little sister a weak glare, too tired to do a full one.

Amelia scowled, her small pouting lips glazed in toothpaste. She glared at her brother's reflection, before spitting the toothpaste that was in her mouth into the sink. She grabbed a pink plastic cup, and smirked as she put the tap on as low as she possibly could, earning a scowl from Trent. He grumbled and marched over to her, before leaning over her narrow shoulders to turn the tap up to an acceptable power. Amelia whined and elbowed Trent hard in the chest, making him grunt as his hand slipped turning the tap on full blast. Each of them let out a startled noise; Trent's being a clumsy "GAH!" and Amelia's being a feminine shriek, as the ice cold water splattered all over their pajamas. Trent quickly shut off the tap, whilst the hell spawn half-pint glowered at him. The two stared at each other, both with irritated expressions, as they dripped in silence. Amelia narrowed her green eyes further, her pearly white incisors clenching in aggravation, before she hopped off the stool and stormed out of the bathroom and slammed the door behind her.

Trent squeezed his eyes shut and ran a wet hand through his messy hair, and took a deep breath as he mentally counted to nine. He stripped himself down, and tiredly moved himself into the shower and turning on a jet of warm water, shutting his eyes as the droplets trickled down his body. He could feel a migraine coming on, and it wasn't even eight in the morning yet.

Well that's just freaking _peachy. _

Lost in his own thoughts, Trent didn't even realize the smirking nine-year-old pigtail adorning little girl who had silently crept into the bathroom, the steam tickling her rosy cheeks. Amelia tiptoed over to the toilet, as Trent obliviously let out a calm sigh, unaware of her presence. Amelia's wicked smirk widened as she flushed the toilet, leaning against a nearby wall to watch- or rather, listen to the fireworks, which consisted of Trent gasping in alarm.

"**AMELIA!**" He roared, as the aforementioned girl giggled airily, before strolling out of the bathroom like nothing had happened, ignoring her brother's empty threats.

If this was peachy, by the end of the day, Trent was sure he was going to have the entire fucking tree.

**~TrAiToR~**

"Dude… Trent… Dude…" The voice paused to take a sigh. "Señor Happy Dance!"

Trent snapped his head up from the desk he had fallen into a light doze on, and blinked away the blurry spots in his vision, before he looked around for the source of the voice. A blue-eyed boy with messy blonde hair and a cowboy hat blinked back at him, as the people around them snickered, as Trent scowled.

"Did you really have to use that name? It was embarrassing enough without you constantly bringing it up, Geoff." He mumbled, wiping his heavy lids with the back of his hands.

Geoff sent him a meek smile, "Sorry dude, but you wouldn't wake up! Seriously man, why're you so tired, it's not like you have sports practices or anything because you… Um…" Geoff paused to think of a better way to phrase what he was about to say.

"I know, I suck at sports, okay? What do you want?" Trent groaned, wanting nothing more than to fall back asleep on the table him and Geoff were studying at.

"You know that social studies project due on Monday? Yeah, we can't work on it at my house this weekend." The blonde cowboy said, frowning slightly.

That, woke Trent up.

"What? Why! Geoff, the project is worth almost half our grade!" Trent exclaimed, feeling quite glad that they were in study hall meaning there was no possibility of being punished for talking.

"I'm sorry! _Apparently _parents don't like when you throw _awesome _bashes without 'permission'," Geoff winced, before scowling in a sulky manner.

"Yeah, thanks for inviting me to that by the way," Trent said a bit sourly.

"Sorry! I forgot…" He replied sheepishly.

"We're getting off topic." Trent sighed, before wiping his left eye with his hand. "I guess we could work on the project after school at my place, my rents are going out and Ame is sleeping over at a friends."

"Sounds good. We should tell Cody and Harold; hey Code-man! H-bomb!" Geoff shouted across the room, alerting not only the aforementioned duo, but also most of the other people in the room.

A familiar buxom blonde was snapped out of her blank staring at her note sheet that was blank save for a few doodles, and hardly any notes on _Steinbeck_. Her crystal blue eyes scanned the room confusedly, before locking on a pair of green eyes. Trent bit his lip nervously as Lindsay beamed at him a few tables away, grinning and waving in a friendly and slightly flirtatious manner. As Cody and Harold made their way over to where Trent and Geoff were sitting, the latter smirked slightly and regarded the former slyly.

"So…you and Lindsay, huh?" Geoff drawled, nudging Trent in the arm with his elbow.

If Trent had been had drinking water, he would have spit it out. Trent cleared his throat and wiped the wide-eyed and utterly shocked expression off of his face, before replying with a nervous, "What? No! I hardly even _know _her…"

"Heh heh, not for long…" A brown haired scrawny looking boy, with blue eyes and a gap between his two front teeth said, smiling. His school uniform hung loosely around his gaunt body, and along beside him stood an equally as scrawny ginger who had about five or six inches on the former, and his bespeckled nose was dusted with faint freckles. They sat down opposite Geoff and Trent.

Trent eyed the brunet tentatively, confusion swimming around in his green orbs. "What do you mean, Cody?"

Before Cody could replied, the red-headed, glasses wearing boy next to him let out a good-natured snort. "Isn't it obvious? Lindsay's like, the biggest slut in school. Despite the stereotype of her being a slut because she's blonde, gorgeous, head cheerleader, and not too bright, she's so popular with the football players, she has an honorary position on the team."

Geoff, being one of the players on the football team, smiled reminiscently and let out a chuckle, before it faded, leaving a slightly longing look on his face. This talk about the blonde bimbo Lindsay made him miss another blonde. One that was smart, pretty, and down to earth. The other guys didn't seem to notice Geoff's sudden change of mood.

Cody snickered, sending Trent a devious gap-toothed smile. "Yeah. She's their _wide-receiver…_"

Harold and Cody laughed, while Trent stared at the table dazed and nervous, and Geoff stared out the window sadly, having not even heard the two nerds' joke; he was too distracted.

Meanwhile, thoughts were swimming around in Trent's mind. Lindsay _did _seem to be interested in him. How long would it be until she tried to make a more persistent mover on him? What if he accidentally _let _it happen, Courtney would kill him, and _then _break up with him. She was already slightly suspicious of Lindsay after finding her number in his pocket last night, but Trent knew she trusted _him. _She had to.

But, then again, Trent was feeling slightly more possessive over Courtney after seeing this _Duncan _character's number written on Courtney's arm. His _girlfriend's _arm. Trent felt his eyes narrow and his hands clench in his lap at the mere thought of Courtney and this other guy.

"Ha, nice one, ha ha ha ha funny," Geoff muttered, waving a hand dismissively trying to change the subject, and move attention away from the slight blush on his slightly tanned cheeks at the fact that him and the beautiful bimbo had fooled around a couple time before. "Anyway, we're planning on finishing the project at Trent's house, 'cause mines off limits."

"I can see why. That was an awesome bash, Geoff!" Harold grinned, as Cody did the same as he nodded, his long brown bangs flapping on his pale forehead. Trent turned to his blonde companion, and sent him an incredulous look.

"Oh, so you invited _them, _but not me?"

"Sorry!" Geoff cringed, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot, man!"

"It's cool... So, yeah, my place after school okay?" Trent asked Harold and Cody. Two too shrugged and nodded, while Trent sighed, his drowsiness returning. He rubbed his eyes again, deterring the vision of Lindsay getting up from where she was sitting and make her over to him. Glossy sparkly pink fingernails made their way to Trent's prominent shoulders, causing making him jump and let out a slightly girlish yelp as he fell off the chair he was sitting in. Geoff, Cody, and Harold laughed as Lindsay stared down at him confused and concerned.

"Are you okay Todd?" She questioned.

Trent scowled at the guys, before sighing and sending the perplexed Lindsay a slightly annoyed expression.

"It's Trent."

"Heh, you're silly! What are you doing on the floor?" Lindsay giggled.

"I…don't know. What do you want?" He asked, picking himself off the floor and dusting off his uniform as Lindsay shifted her weight, smiling dazzling at him. Her big blue eyes fluttered, and her smile was so white Trent could've sworn he saw his reflection.

"Oh, um, I was just wondering… Um, you see, I'm having a bit of trouble with this work sheet on _Of Mousey Men_, and…can you help me?" She pleaded, smiling bashfully. She fluttered her eyelashes and widened her smile hopefully. Trent's stoic expression was starting to waver, and even though he'd hate himself in the morning for it, he reluctantly agreed to help her.

"Okay…" He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"YAY!" Lindsay squealed, throwing her arms around Trent's neck and pulling him into a tight embrace and snuggling into the croon of his neck affectionately, while Trent's eyes widened in shock, obliviously to a figure lurking in the shadows taking a quick photo, a smirk upon their face. Trent was earnestly taken aback by Lindsay's advancement, and tried to shove her off, but her grip was extremely tight; he was sure she could feel his erratic heartbeat against her large chest, and once Trent was able to get her off, Lindsay sent him a small pout!

"Uh, yeah…" Trent mumbled awkwardly, ignoring the sniggers from his project partners. "You definitely need help, considering the name of the novella is _Of __**Mice **__and Men…_"

"Why don't you come sit down with me…?" She smiled flirtatiously, grabbing Trent's arm and pushing him down into the seat beside the one in front of her supplies. She sat down and smiled at him, while Trent looked around nervously.

"Okay, um, w-what do you need help with?" He asked.

"Oh, like, I don't get this question." Lindsay frowned, leaning over and pointing at a question on her work. Trent glanced down and a blush crept over his cheeks as he caught sight of the large amount of cleavage Lindsay was showing, and mentally scolded himself for even taking a risk at looking. He glanced at the question Lindsay was stuck on; _'Name three things Lennie killed by the end of the novel.'_

"Okay, I remember reading this book! Lennie killed a mouse, and his puppy because he likes to pet soft things, and doesn't know his own strength. Also, he kills Curley's wife when she lets him pet her hair in the barn because she gets worried and screams, and Lennie doesn't want George to know he's done another bad thing." Trent explained, allowing a small smile.

"Hehehe, you are _soooo smart…_" Lindsay swooned, hitting his forearm lightly and twirling her golden locks with the other. Her eyes met Trent's and she bit her lip, while Trent clearly read the danger signs and yanked his arm out of Lindsay's light touch, and nearly throwing himself to the ground for a second time.

"Uh, yeah, no problem, I-I-I… I _really _should be going, bye!" Trent squeaked, his voice going up to an unnatural octave. He quickly dashed away from her table and scooped up his bag, not sparing the bewildered blonde a passing glace.

"Let's go," he mumbled to Harold, Cody, and Geoff. He walked away while the trio stared after him confusedly. They shrugged and followed suit, the dismissal bell cutting through Trent's muddled and jumbled thoughts like a knife.

**~TrAiToR~**

"Okay, okay, get _this,_" Geoff chuckled, as the other three boys grinned, stifling laughter from Geoff's last story. The four sat in a lopsided circle-like thing, as each of them worked on their social studies project. Cody and Harold were painting a model of Fort York, Geoff was cutting out the notes Cody had typed out and pasting them to Bristol board, while Trent stopped his laughing to take a sip out of the bottle of water he was drinking. He returned to taking dot jots on the Battle of St. Gettysburg. As Geoff finished his story, Harold and Cody burst out into another fit of laughter. Trent drained the last drops of water left in his water bottle, before getting up and heading to the kitchen to recycle it, when a light knock on the door caught his attention.

He tossed the bottle in the bin, before walking to the door and opening it.

Leaning against the doorframe, was a wind swept, smirking Courtney, earning a wide-eyed gape from Trent.

"C-Courtn-" He exclaimed in a hushed whisper, before warm lips came crashing down onto his own. Trent's eyebrows raised up to his hairline as Courtney shoved him into his inside, slamming the door with on hand and lacing her fingers through Trent's hair with the other. He cast a quick glance at the doorway that lead to the living room where Cody, Geoff, and Harold were, while Courtney went about attacking his neck with her mouth. Trent bit his lip to keep from moaning, and mentally cursed himself when he heard the guys stop conversing, as if suspicious of what was happening in there and wanting to hear more. He directed his attention back to Courtney as she laced her cold fingers around his neck and pulling him into a kiss.

After succumbing to the urge to kiss back, Trent pulled away as Courtney fluttered her eyelashes sensually.

"Courtney, what are you doing here! How…what…" He stammered, in a frantic whisper.

"I couldn't stop think about you all day…" She murmured hungrily, trailing kisses up and down his jaw line, and her fingers frantically searching for the buttons on his blazer and shirt so she could undo them. Her lips coasted up to behind Trent's ears, and he let out a euphoric gasp, feeling her smirk against the sensitive skin.

"I want you… _Now._"

Trent blushed, as Courtney's needy ministrations made a large knot of lust twist deep inside him, and her breathing became choppy as she yanked his blazer off of him and began to work on the buttons of his shirt.

"Damn buttons," she growled, continuing to unsuccessfully unbutton his shirt. She looked quite adorable when she was needy; Trent made a quick mental note of that, as he grabbed her wrists, causing her to stop, much to her aggravation. He took a deep breath, as she half glared into his green eyes.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, before Trent leaned in and planed a soft kiss on her cheek, much to her bewilderment.

"Okay… Wait for me upstairs. My rooms the one at the end of the hall." He murmured so quietly, that if it wasn't silent save for the conversation between Cody, Geoff, and Harold in the next room, Courtney was sure she wouldn't have heard it. A lusty smirk broke out across her tanned face, and she quickly stole another kiss before giggling as she dashed towards the hallway, which was luckily out of view of the doorframe that led to the living room. Her eyes caught Trent's for a second before she ascended up the stairs, with a light smile on her face. Trent smiled to himself, before realizing the guys were still in his living room; that thought ripped the smile right off his face, leaving shame and guilt in it's place. He sighed, and made his way back into the living room, trying to look as nonchalant as he could.

"Dude, what took so long?" Cody asked, nibbling on a Red Vine. He dipped his paintbrush in the grey paint, and started to add a second layer of paint to their fort.

"Uh, sorry… Got, um, distracted." He replied. That _definitely _wasn't a lie.

"What's up with your neck?" Geoff observed, furrowing his brow at the large red mark blossoming on Trent's neck.

_Shit, shit, shit! _

"Uhhh… what?" Trent said, quickly and indiscreetly buttoning up his shirt all the way so the hickey Courtney had given him was hidden.

"Never mind that, we're out of glue, do you have anymore?" Harold asked, pushing his glasses up further on the bridge of his freckled nose.

"Uh, yeah, it's in my room. I'll go get some." He lied, awkwardly gesturing towards the hallway. He smiled nervously, before walking away.

Cody, Harold, and Geoff shared a confused glance, before shrugging and going about their work.

Trent clambered up the stairs, mind and heart racing. He bit down hard on his lips as he trudged down the hall. He froze in front of the door, his shaking and sweaty hand turning the doorknob tentatively. He quietly opened the door, gulping down the nerves that were taking over his body.

Courtney was lying upside-down on his bed, her bangs sliding off her forehead and her braid falling off her shoulder. Her obsidian coloured eyes locked with Trent's, his stomach doing a flip under the intensity of her gaze. She turned herself upright and sat up, as Trent sat down beside her. Before he could even open his mouth to say a word, Courtney had launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him passionately, and straddling him. He set his hands on her waist, not pausing to hesitate in kissing back this time. She nibbled and sucked at his bottom lip, while Trent's hands caressed her sides.

"More," she groaned, pressing herself closer to him, loving the warmth radiating off of his body. She needed more warmth…more _heat. _Courtney undid his tie, not breaking the connection of their lips, and almost ripped his shirt at the force she used to undo the buttons. Trent shifted his position so she could pull off his shirt, and she threw it, along with his tie, halfway across the room.

"_More…_" She murmured, moaning as Trent changed their position so he was on top, cupping her face and lacing his fingers through her silky brown hair. Courtney dug her fingernails into his shoulder blades before dragging them down his chest, earning a low groan from him. She hastily began to unfasten the buttons on her shirt, as their kisses began to become harder, and more needy. This was it, Trent thought. He was finally going to do it…

With Courtney.

He wouldn't have it any other way.

One hand landed on her thigh, and he slowly began to move it higher; he took the high and throaty whimper as a go ahead, as she wrapped her legs around one of his, bringing it in between hers. As Trent's hand moved higher, he stopped at the hem of her skirt, nervousness starting to take over him. Courtney deepened their kiss, and tugged hard at his hair.

"_More!_" She cried, her hands moving from his hair to his chest. He fought back his nerves, to focus on only one thing. Courtney.

His hand moved up past her skirt…

Higher…

Higher…

_Higher_…

Someone in the doorway let out a loud, wheezy gasp. Both Trent and Courtney froze and opened their eyes, turning towards the doorway.

Trent's stomach dropped to his feet, as he felt Courtney clench beneath him. His green eyes widened, and a look of pure horror was plastered on the face of the brunette under him.

There, staring at the two forbidden lovers was Harold, a look of utter shock on his face.

_Oh, shit…_

Tense silence filled the room; no one dared to move a muscle.

"…Boobies…" Harold sighed, grinning at Courtney weirdly, as Trent glared at him and Courtney looked at him disgustedly, before she glared ferociously. She shoved Trent off of her, before sitting upright and adjusting her clothes and hair so she looked somewhat presentable. Trent tried to flatten his untamable hair as Courtney let out a feral growl and sprinted towards Harold, tackling the lanky nerd to the ground with a thud. She easily overpowered him, and trapped him there, while he stared at her, terrified.

"Listen up dweeb, and listen _good. _I was _never _here. And if you breathe a _word_ about us- _this, _to anyone, I will kick your ass _so hard _you'll have to go to Hôpitaux de Roven to get my shoe surgically removed. Got it?" Courtney growled, pointing a finger in his face. Harold stared at it cross eyed, and cringed.

"Y-yes ma'am…" He whimpered.

Courtney glared at him one last time for good measure, before let out an appalled squeal, and staring at him aghast.

"Ew! Do you _seriously _have a boner right now?" She shrieked. Trent sent Harold a slightly murderous glare.

"I've never been this close to a girl before… Give a guy a break! GOSH!" Harold scowled, his face turning a light crimson colour.

Courtney got up and scoffed, before shuddering as she dusted herself off. Her eyes locked with Trent, before a seductive smirk appeared on her face.

"Sorry we were interrupted, handsome… If you wanna finish what we started, call me…" Courtney purred. She then left with a wink, her hips swaying as she exited the room.

Trent stared after her, before plugging his slightly bleeding nose. He turned to the ginger sprawled out on his bedroom floor, as the latter stared at him in total shock. Trent sent him a sheepish smile.

"So… How 'bout we get back down there and finish that project…?" He said, weakly.

* * *

Wow, longish chapter again? I love you guys too much! Gugh, sorry again for the long wait, writers block's a bitch…

And wow, that's the most intimate thing I've ever written. O.O And probably will be, that's probably as far as things are gonna go. Wanna keep this T... So, yeah, don't worry. No lemons, because they're creepy.

Please review and all that jazz! What do you think will happen with Harold, now that he knows about Trent and Courtney secret? (If you're wondering, Courtney's still in her uniform, that being a dead give away of who she is…) And what about the sketchy person who snapped a photo of Trent and Lindsay's hug!

You'll find out soon enough! In the meant time, review! See ya next time kiddies-who-are-most-likely-older-than-me! :D

~Alexex


	10. The First of Many

Hey guys, guys who just got back from the states? ME! Music/Art trip to Chicago, dudes! Woot! It was SO awesome, we went to go see the Blue Man Group, and the guys made bacon in their hotel room. Legitimately, no jokes, I had some. Thank you so, so much for your reviews!

* * *

Trent's stomach was in a perpetual clench of knots, and he gripped the edge of his bed so tightly that his pale knuckles turned even whiter. His heart was thundering against his bare chest. A cruel silence blanketed his bedroom, as Harold stared up at him, still dazed from his encounter with a hotheaded brunette. Harold cringed as he sat up and adjusted his lopsided glasses, before continuing to stare at Trent, this time with a slightly betrayed expression.

Trent shifted awkwardly in his seat, starting to feel the guilt of his secret relationship with Courtney. His gaze narrowed slightly, as he let out a sigh and folded his hands gingerly in his lap, shame welling up inside him; although, why should he be ashamed of love?

Trent's eyes widened slightly. Love? The very thought made his stomach even more upset, and a slight blush creep over his pale complexion. He had completely given up on trying to plug his nosebleed; it would stop eventually. So red drips of blood dribbled down his chin, his bare chest, and eventually into the bedding of his bed.

Harold clumsily clambered to his feet, his wordless gaze still firmly locked on the raven-haired traitor. Trent was starting to get annoyed, and before he could stop himself, he glared at the speckled ginger.

"What are _you _staring at? At least I can _get _a girlfriend. So what, Courtney goes to Western Heights." Trent mumbled, scowling. Harold stoically stared at Trent, before narrowing his eyes slightly as he came to a sudden realization.

"Well, other than you being one of the biggest traitors in the entire school," he replied, while Trent focused his gaze on his lap, unable to meet Harold's glare; something the sweet nerd would hardly ever do. "Do you _really _know Courtney Winters?"

This, caught Trent's attention. He didn't remember mentioning Courtney's last name; and the sudden darkness in Harold's voice was slightly unnerving. Trent lifted his stare, and met Harold's eyes in a skeptic glance.

"Uh, yes? I mean, she _is_ my girlfriend." He stated factually.

Another silence clouded over the room, before Harold let out a sigh. "I see. Well, if you ever want to know more about that Western poisonous bitch-" Harold started.

But once he had uttered that one little word, a fury that had been brewing inside of Trent erupted, as he flung himself to his feet and with incredible speed, clamped his hands on Harold's collar, drawing him dangerously close to his face. Harold's eyes widened in alarm as Trent's green eyes narrowed into slits. Harold had never witness such a raw, frightening side of the normally calm and collected musician before.

"If I _ever _hear you call Courtney that again, I swear to _God _it won't be pretty. Got it?" Trent growled. The two teens breathed heavily for a few moments, Trent's breath slightly fogging up the lanky nerd's glasses. Harold removed himself from Trent's grasp, and brushed off imaginary dust from his uniform, as if being touched by Trent had soiled him in any way.

"Threaten me all you want, but none of that will change anything of your alleged "girlfriend's" past," Harold scoffed. Trent raised an eyebrow confusedly. Harold started towards the doorway, before turning back to meet the apprehensive Trent's gaze.

"Ask Alejandro, I'm sure he'll be able to tell you all you need to know."

And with that ominous message, Harold spun on his heel and left Trent alone, only his thoughts to keep him company.

He furrowed his brow confusedly, before letting out a sigh. He walked back over to his messy bed, and plopped down onto it and shut his eyes. Trent ran a hand down his face, smearing wet blood and dried blood down his chin. His mind swam with thoughts about Harold's sudden hostility towards Courtney once he realized who she was. It was also strange that he could figure out her last name, just by stringing her appearance and her first name together; Harold was smart, but not _that _smart.

And what was all this about Courtney's past? And what did Alejandro have to do with anything?

One thing Trent knew was that he needed to find out.

Trent tiredly opened his eyes as he heard Cody, Geoff, and Harold collect their things and leave. As they pulled out of his driveway, he silently prayed that Harold kept his mouth shut; the last thing Trent needed was for the whole school to find out, especially with the big championship game drawing near. There were less than two months left now.

He sighed and sat up, before discarding the rest of his clothes and heading to the bathroom to have a shower. As the warm jets of water trickled down his body, he shut his eyes, and let the blood fade from red, to pink, to nothing.

Nothing would stop him from figuring out the truth.

**~TrAiToR~**

Courtney had never been so tense in her entire life, and that was _saying _something.

Butterflies of anticipation still fluttered in her stomach, even long after leaving Trent's room, she couldn't help but feel antsy after what could have been. Her and Trent, together… Sharing something so intimate Courtney could feel a blush coming on at the very thought of it. Though, dark blurry flashes could be seen in the back of her mind, even after so long... Courtney shut her eyes and tried her hardest to make the thoughts go away, but they seemed to be permanently etched into her memories.

"_N-no, no! Stop, __**please!**__"_

"_Shut up, __**perra!**__"_

"_Ow..o-ow, please… __**Please**__! It hurts, just g-get off!"_

"_El silencio, o de lo contrario perderá mucho más que la virginidad, perra!"_

"_No… N-no! __**NO!**__"_

Black.

A loud honking noise awoke the unconscious brunette, and she quickly snapped her head up off of the steering wheel and untangled herself from the seatbelt. She quickly surveyed her surroundings, her heart rate accelerating and her breathing shallow and choppy. Courtney shut her eyes and cradled her head in her hands, lonely tears slipping past her thick lashes and slid down her cheeks. That scene was one of the most reoccurring ones, and one that sent shivers down her spine. Courtney rubbed her eyes, feeling dried tears stick to her knuckles, and let out a shaky breath.

As her cell phone went off, the noise of her ring tone made her jump. She grabbed her purse and sifted through its contents, before finally grabbing the chiming device. She checked the caller ID, and let a small smile tug on her lips when the words _Trent Smith is calling _flashed across the screen. Courtney quickly forced any hints of tears away, and cleared her throat.

"Hello…?" She answered, her voice sickly-sweet. Courtney scowled to herself for sounding like such a bimbo. If that happened again, she mad a mental not to throw herself off the nearest cliff. Just the mere thought of sounding like an airhead made her skin crawl. Her eyes narrowed. That's probably how that _Lindsay _girl sounded.

But, Courtney trusted Trent. She did. He wasn't like the other guys, he was actually respectful, and she cared deeply for him, and trusted him. He held her heart, an object quite difficult for someone to obtain from her, and she trusted him not to crush it.

"Hi gorgeous," was Trent's reply, and it made Courtney's insides fill with butterflies.

"Is that dweeb gone? Oh, I hope he won't go and blab… I don't want you to get in trouble, I feel bad enough already…" She mumbled, worriedly.

She could hear the confusion in his warm voice. "What? Why do you feel bad?"

_So many reasons…_ She wanted to say, but she bit her lip to keep herself from doing so. "Well, if I didn't go to Western Heights or if we weren't together, we wouldn't be in this predicament…" Courtney sighed.

"Well, personally, I love this predicament. It means I get to be with you."

Courtney grinned, the butterflies quickening their pace.

"So, anyways," he drawled, moving on and stopping her feelings of anticipation. "My house is now empty, and I'm starting to get _pretty _lonely…" He trailed off tragically, sparking the butterflies in her stomach once again.

"Awww…" she cooed, smiling seductively even though she knew that Trent couldn't see her. Yet. "How unfortunate… I have an idea… Why don't _I… _come back? Besides, two is better than one… In _many _different ways."

"…That is a _wonderful _idea…" He said, breathlessly. "You are _so _smart…" It sent shivers down her spine, and she quickly and shakily jammed her key in the ignition so hard, she was surprised that she didn't snap it in half.

"See you soon." She murmured, smiling deviously.

"I can't wait," he replied, before the line went blank.

Courtney let out a content sigh, as she dropped her phone into her purse and pulled out a silver and black striped make up bag. She touched up her cover up, reapplied her eyeliner and mascara, and chose a deep pink shade of gloss for her lips. She unscrewed the lid, before puckering her lips. As she brought the applicator to her lips, she froze.

This was the same lip-gloss that she was wearing before he… He…

"_Is that a new lip-gloss, Chiquita?"_

_She blushed. "Oh, why, yes… It is, thanks for noticing! Um, can I ask you a question?"_

"_I'm pretty sure you just did, chica… But sure, go ahead."_

_"Why are we walking this way, we always walk the other way…"_

_She had that uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach again, but he hasn't had any of those little…spells for a whole week now. A small flicker of hope welled up inside of her. Maybe he was getting better._

_They kept walking, moving farther from the light of the street lamps and closer to the alleyways. Her legs were starting to tremble, and her breathing was starting to get a bit ragged. His emerald green eyes were focused intently on the road ahead. The alarming thing was the sinister glint in his eye, and how it seemed to be more prominent. _

_It was a few minutes until he responded to her question._

"_I wanted to take you somewhere where no one could hear you scream." He said, in a whisper so quiet she had to strain her ears to her him over the barely there breeze. _

_Before she could fully process his answer, rough lips were fiercely dominating hers, his tongue was aggressively exploring hers, and his hands were places where not hands should ever be, she thought. Her eyes were wide while his were shut tightly, and the force of his kiss sent her backwards into a brick wall. He aggressively attacked her mouth with his, while she stood there stuck between a rock and a hard place. His body felt wrong and like it didn't fit with hers, like shoving a puzzle piece into it's incorrect spot._

"_**W-whabt**__ arwe you __**dobing**__…!" She exclaimed, his lips and tongue limiting her dexterity in that very moment in time. She tried to shove him away, but he was too strong. She frantically tried to land a punch on his well-toned chest, but her resistance only sparked more animosity in him. He roughly yanked her by her hair and shoved her to the cold ground, the shock of the fall stunning her momentarily. As she tried to get back to her feet, his shoe collided with her ribcage. She cried out in pain, before his fist connected with her gorgeous cheekbone. She met the ground at a high velocity, the concrete feeling cold and unforgiving under her impaired and throbbing body. Her eyes were unfocused and droopy from the power of his hit. She felt saliva- his or hers, she didn't even know, and blood trickle down her bruised lips and down her chin. _

_She felt hands start to frantically pull at her clothes in a hasty attempt to undress her, and she weakly tried to swat them away; but it was to no avail, she was too weak, and he was too strong._

"_Leave me __**alone**__! __**GET AWAY!**__" She screamed, as he pinned her down with little to no effort. Ironic that it was his perfection that had drawn her to him; now, she just wanted to beat him until he was unrecognizable. Like he did to her. "__**HELP!**__" _

_Crack._

_Knuckles connected with ribs, and she was reduced to a mess of whimpering limbs. She felt like she was going to explode, and at this point, she hoped she would. _

"_Hush, mi amor. You're going to need your lips for something more…__**productive, **__in a little while."_

_Screaming._

_Black._

Courtney forced her eyes open, and rubbed away the tears with the palms of her hands. She drew in a shaky breath before rolling down the window and throwing the lip-gloss as far as she could, before cradling her head in her hands and letting out a shaky breath.

That was a year ago, things were different now. Trent, was different.

But a small little part of her brain wasn't convinced, and she hated herself for it.

Courtney took a few more calming breaths, and sighed. She pulled her hair out of its braid, and let the silky strands fall around her neck and frame her face. She ran her fingers through the length of her hair, grabbed a simple peachy coloured lip-gloss and applied it to her lips. She glanced at her rearview mirror; onyx eyes meeting onyx eyes. Courtney frowned slightly at the puffiness of her red eyes, but it would have to do. Trent was waiting for her.

She put the car into drive, and rounded the corner back onto Bridgeport Road. She pulled into the driveway of house number 1582, and sighed, butterflies fluttering in her stomach, and the feeling of anticipation clouding over her.

Courtney shut off the engine, and got out of the car. She put on her best poker face, and walked up the path to the front door. Before she knocked, Courtney couldn't help but marvel at the warmth radiating from the house. The front porch was covered with bright flowers, each in a different decorated pot, obviously made by a young child. One had the name Amelia on it, another had the names Hilary and Lily on it, and Courtney couldn't stop the soft smile that spread over her lips when she saw Trent's.

The red flowerpot was crudely painted green with water paint, and little black music notes were scattered all over it. "Happy Mother's Day, Mommy!" was written in hardly legible script, and Trent's signature was on a slant. Beside his name, was a handprint so small Courtney found herself smiling even larger. She let out a soft laugh as she bent over to get a closer look, and placed her palm on the print, gushing when she noticed how small it was in comparison to hers.

"Aww…" She cooed, before jumping slightly as she heard the front door open. Trent came into view, his brow creased slightly in confusion before his green irises landed on Courtney. She blushed as he stared at her, his brow rising slightly. She quickly withdrew her hand and sat properly, looking up at him embarrassedly. She took in his appearance, and all expression left her face.

For once, he wasn't wearing his prime and proper school uniform, and she had to admit, he cleaned up rather well. He wore a gray and black long sleeved horizontally striped shirt and black track pants, with a pair of white socks. His raven black hair was quite damp and laid a bit flatter than when it was dry, yet it still stuck up at a few odd angles.

The two stared at each other, lost in each other's eyes. Trent cracked a small, reassuring small and Courtney felt as if she was going to break down into tears at how…foreign this felt. How foreign caring felt. He held up his hand, and Courtney let out a soft disbelieving smile before she got up off the cold ground and dusted herself off. She walked over to Trent and met his palm with hers, smiling down a their hands distantly. His fingers were a couple centimeters longer than hers. The difference between the flowerpot and now was astounding.

Trent smiled at her, and intertwined their fingers, before bringing her hand up to his mouth and brushing her knuckles with a tender kiss, his eyes never leaving hers. Courtney felt as if her knees were going to give way. She returned the smile.

"You are so, _so, _beautiful, you know that?" Trent said, breathlessly.

Courtney continued to smile at him, and couldn't stop the silent tears slipping from her eyes. He furrowed his brow slightly, before cupping her face and brushing away her tears with his thumbs.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

_If only I could tell you…_

Courtney just continued to smile bitter-sweetly, and she shook her head.

"Nothing," she whispered, before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him as close to her as she could. Courtney pressed her forehead against his, their noses brushing softly. Her half lidded eyes stared into his ones of concern.

"Just promise to hold onto me and never let go…"

Trent wrapped his arms around her waist as Courtney buried her face into the croon of his neck. He placed soft kisses upon the top of her head while stroking her hair and rubbing small circles into her lower back.

"I promise." He replied, quietly.

She shut her eyes, as Trent soothingly began to rock them back and forth, caressing her gently. Their bodies fit together like a perfect match. Courtney pulled away and looked up into his warm green eyes, before leaning in and planting a sweet little kiss on the corner of his mouth. Trent smiled, before tilting her chin up and meeting her glossy lips with his own. Their eyes flutter closed as Courtney laced her fingers behind his wet neck, and Trent kept a firm grip on her waist with one hand as the other rested under her chin. She backed him back into his house, and shut the door with her foot. Courtney let out quiet moan as a knot of lust twisted in her stomach.

"You have no idea how much I want you, Trent…" She whispered against his lips, and she cupped his face. Trent pulled away, confusing and worrying her slightly. He bit his lip and sighed, before smiling at her lopsidedly. Noticing her slight worry, he widened his smile and kissed her forehead. Trent slipped on a pair of runners and a jacket, and grabbed another for Courtney. He helped her slide her arms in, as she stared at him with even more confusion.

"Come walk with me…" He said, holding out his arm for her to take. Furrowing her brow, Courtney hesitantly linked her arm with his and he started to lead her towards the front door.

"Why…?" She asked skeptically.

As he opened the door and led her outside, locking the door behind them, he wrapped an arm around her and rested his hand on her waist. As they headed out into the crisp chilly air, Trent simply pushed some of Courtney's hair behind her ear and leaned in close to her.

"Just trust me," he murmured, staring deeply into her eyes. Courtney's eyes widened for a second.

_Slap._

"_Just trust me, chica! Don't you love me?"_

"…_Y-yes."_

"_Then you obviously have nothing to worry about then, now do you?"_

_Tears._

Courtney swallowed the large lump that was in her throat and nodded, snuggling close to Trent as they walked down the deserted sidewalk. The wind was against them, and Courtney shivered as it ruffled her skirt. Her legs were frozen, and she mentally cursed to herself for not changing into some warmer clothes after school.

Ten minutes passed and Courtney started to feel a bit uneasy. Silence clouded over them, leaving her alone with her thoughts, and she didn't like that. Soon enough, a small strip small came up into view, the flickering neon lights flashing in the distance. The sun was beginning to set as they approached the quite deserted strip mall, their breath visible due to the frigidness of the evening air. Trent's neck and ears were extremely cold, seeing as his hair was wet, but soon enough they'd get warm.

Courtney raised an eyebrow at the simplicity and out datedness of the shops. They looked as if they were from the seventies. She could honestly say she'd never been to this part of town before, and was surprised to see that it wasn't riddled with gangs and drug addicts like everyone at Western Heights believed. Then again, all Westerners believed that Easterners were thugs and greasers, and Courtney found herself believing that rumor less and less every time she looked into Trent's green eyes.

Trent removed his arm from her waist and grabbed her cold hand. He led her into a quant little coffee shop, decorated with warm neutral colours, and pictures of numerous Eastwood sports teams and newspaper clippings. It was quite small, and only had a few two-person tables, one containing a pair of blonde lovers smooching passionately. Courtney squinted; that blonde girl looked oddly familiar…

Before she could place her, Trent pulled her over to an empty table and pulled out a chair for her. Courtney smiled and thanked him, before taking a seat in the cushioned chair. He took the seat opposite from her, and smiled sweetly at her, making her heart swell.

Trent's smile lessened slightly, before he looked away and sighed.

"I use to bring my girlfriend Chelsea here all the time…" He murmured, distractedly. Courtney shifted her weight in her seat awkwardly, unsure on how to respond. His gaze darkened to one so unlike him, Courtney was almost frightened for a second. She stared at Trent as he started at the table with narrowed eyes.

"But she cheated on me, and want to know how I know?" He asked, rhetorically. Trent let out a bitter laugh. "She told me that she was pregnant, even after I specifically told her that I wasn't ready to lose my virginity yet. I wanted to wait until marriage, or until it was the right time. So I left her, and I'm glad I did."

Courtney blinked a few times, shocked by that story. Who in their right mind would cheat on someone so wonderful? Trent sighed and looked up to meet Courtney's eyes, and reached across the table to hold her hand; he gave it a reassuring squeeze.

"Because it meant that now I have you."

Courtney smiled again, and was about to reply when a plump, elderly woman with silvery hair and a wrinkled, smiling face walked up with a pen and a pad of paper. She smiled fondly at the two teens, and Trent returned the smile with an equal amount of fondness while Courtney returned it out of politeness.

"Hi Trent, how are you doing, sweetheart? It's been a while!" The lady greeted, her hazel eyes running over Trent's well-featured face. She pats the top of his head in a motherly sort of way, and let out a sigh. "My, my, as handsome as ever…" She remarked. Trent blushed slightly, and Courtney silently giggled.

"Thanks Elise, how've you been?" He asked.

"Good, good. Oh, and who's this young lady?" Elise questioned, her gaze landing on the slightly awkward brunette. She smiled nervously, and played with a loose strand of hair.

"Hello ma'am, my names Courtney. Pleased to make your acquaintance." Courtney said, introducing herself. Elise beamed at her, and pat Courtney's shoulder softly, sending Trent a sly look.

"Dear me, _so _polite…" The elderly woman remarked, smiling proudly as if Courtney were her own granddaughter. "Believe me Courtney, the pleasure is all mine. Now, dearie, what can I get for you? Coffee? Tea? Cappuccino? Hot chocolate? You name it, we got it."

Courtney bit her lip, thinking about the fact that she couldn't eat any dairy products. But, Trent had gone to so much trouble to bring her here, and Elise was just so kind… She didn't want to seem rude…

"Uh… May I please have a hot chocolate?" Courtney asked.

"Of course, sweetheart. Would you like that made with milk or water?" Elise replied, jotting down Courtney's order and waiting for the tanned brunette to respond.

"Water, please." Courtney smiled.

"I'll have the same as her, except with milk, please, Elise." Trent added, while Elise wrote down both their orders.

"Alright, you guys, I'll be back in a few." Elise smiled, walking back over to the kitchen.

Once she was gone, Courtney turned to Trent and grinned.

"She is so sweet…"

"I know," Trent smiled back.

Staying true to her word, Elise was back within the next five minutes with both Trent and Courtney's drinks. She placed one in front of Trent, and the other in front of Courtney, smiling.

"There you go. Enjoy, and feel free to call me over if you need anything!" Elise announced, before heading to the kitchen once more.

Courtney and Trent each blew on their hot chocolates before taking sips, and Courtney instantly smiled when she was finished her sip.

"Oh my God, this is amazing!" Courtney exclaimed quietly while Trent simply grinned.

"I know, right?" He agreed. "So… Enjoying our first date so far?"

Courtney's smile widened before she took another taste of her hot chocolate. "Trent, I have been on many extravagant first dates, but this… By far is one of the most thoughtful, kindest things anyone has ever done for me…" She breathed, shaking her head slightly.

Trent smiled at her. His brow furrowed, as he felt a vibration in his pocket due to his cell phone.

"Sorry, one sec…" Trent said, apologetically. Courtney nodded understandingly and went about drinking her hot chocolate, while Trent quickly typed a few responses to some texts he was receiving.

Five minutes passed, and Trent's eyes stayed glued to the device in his hands, earning a minuscule scowl from Courtney. She continued to lightly sip on her drink, before Trent put down his phone. He smiled at her regretfully, before standing up.

"Sorry, Court… I'll be right back; bathroom." He mumbled, before leaving the table.

Courtney stared after him with slightly narrowed eyes, before sighing as her expression softened. She would let one tiny little mishap ruin all the sweet things he's done so far today. She downed the last of her hot chocolate before her eyes landed on Trent's cell phone.

It lay there, still and silent before vibrating a few times. Courtney bit her lip, contemplating whether or not to take a peak… The temptation _was _overwhelming, as well as her curiosity. She quickly glanced around, and seeing as she was completely alone, she grabbed his cell phone, scowling at the screen.

_3 NEW MESSAGES- LINDSAY WATSON _

Courtney's eyes narrowed at Lindsay's name, and she pressed the read button with a little more force than necessary.

12/5/2010, 5:08 p.m.

_loloololol ! u r like sewwww funneh! :D sirouslyyy tho thx 4 da help yestrdaii , u r like sewwww smrt 2. ;)_

-LINDSAY

12/5/2010, 5:08 p.m.

_nd thx, ur not 2 bad urslef ;) (L)_

-LINDSAY

12/5/2010, 5:09 p.m.

_o and is tmrrw gud 4 tha ting ? _

-LINDSAY

Courtney crinkled up her nose in distaste at the amount of spelling errors in her texts, and went back to the one with the heart. It lay there, mocking her; it seemed that Lindsay was way quicker at giving away her heart… And what was this "thing" that she was talking about? Courtney quickly scanned over the texts once more for any more hints before she flinched as she heard the bathroom door close and Trent start to approach. She quickly marked the messages as unread and put his cell phone back and immersed herself with the tiling on the floor. Courtney felt kind of bad for invading his privacy like that but… She couldn't help it.

When Trent came back her stomach did a nervous little flip, and she rested her hand on it as it gurgled. She furrowed her brow, and waited for her stomach to settle. Trent took his phone back, and took one glance at Lindsay's texts before sighing. He shoved it back into his pocket and sent her a weak smile.

"Once again, sorry about that." He said.

Courtney frowned, her stomach gurgling a bit louder before forcing a smile. "It's okay. I really enjoyed myself, thank you Trent."

"No problem. Now, before I go pay can I ask you something?" Trent continued, smiling.

Courtney was about to argue about letting him pay for everything, but she then realized it would be quite redundant, knowing that Trent wouldn't dare let her pay. She smiled slightly, before wincing as her stomach pains increased.

"Sure go ahead," she replied.

"Do you know Alejandro Burromuerto?" He questioned, furrowing his brow slightly.

It was a harmless question, yet it still made her eyes bulge and a look of terror spread over her face. She stared at him blankly while he stared back attentively. Courtney's stomach gave a grand lurch, and her hands flew up to her mouth as she gagged. Trent furrowed his brow concerned. Courtney bolted from the table so fast one is surprised to see that she didn't leave skid marks on the tiles as she sprinted to the bathroom, gagging the whole way.

Trent stared after her and bit his lip concernedly. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair, having not received an answer from her. But the fear that lit up on her face at the mention of his name was more than an answer, and it made him regret asking. He'd never seen so much dread and downright terror in ones eyes before, and to see it in Courtney's eyes made him feel extremely guilty.

About ten minutes later, Courtney returned, her hair looking frazzled and a tired expression on her paled face. She sighed as she collected her purse, popped two Tylenols back and swallowed, before pulling out a piece of spearmint gum and chewing it.

"Are you okay?" He asked, getting up and walking over. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and brushed her disheveled hair out of her face. She still looked a bit queasy, and rocked slightly on her feet.

"Lactose…intolerant…must've gotten…your drink…" She said between breaths, her eyes drooping slightly.

"Crap! Are you sure you okay, you're not too sick, are you? Do I need to call anyone?" Trent said, panicking slightly. Courtney sent him a weak smile.

"Don't worry Trent… It's happened before, it's not like I've been poisoned or anything. It just upset my stomach." She reassured him. Noticing her fatigue, Trent kissed her temple and pulled out his wallet. He placed fifteen dollars on the table; way more than enough for their drinks, and grabbed their jackets. He helped Courtney into her jacket, and slid his on. He bid Elise farewell, before exiting the coffee shop with Courtney at his side, and to his amazement, and Courtney's as well, small white flecks fell down from the sky.

Courtney stared out in wonder as the snow swirled around the pair of teenagers, and got caught in their hair. As the strip mall faded into the distance and Bridgeport road came back into view, Courtney slid her ice cold one into Trent's equally as cold one. They made it back to his house, the dark and frigidness of this December night chilling their bodies.

They reached house number 1582, and Trent walked her to her car. She slid off his jacket despite his protests for her to keep it to at least keep her a bit warmer on her drive home. Courtney simply smiled and refused, saying that she didn't want to keep any more of his garments; it'd start to look suspicious.

Before she got into her vehicle, Trent leaned in to give her a goodnight kiss; Courtney stopped him by placing her hand in between their lips, confusing him. She smiled crookedly, reminding him that she recently had thrown up, making him blush embarrassedly. Courtney wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a tight embrace as his hands landed on her waist. He stumbled back a few steps out of surprise while she buried her face into his chest. He smiled down at her fondly, hugging her back.

"Thank you so, so much… For everything." She murmured, into his chest.

"Any time, beautiful… Any time." Trent replied, resting his chin on the top of her head.

Courtney pulled away slightly so she could see his face. They shared a smile, as more flecks of snow showered down upon them making their cheeks flush and their hair become littered with snowflakes. She let out a sigh, before reluctantly removing herself from his grasp; coldness instantly overtook her frame.

"Goodnight," she said begrudgingly, walking over to the driver's seat.

"Goodnight," he responded, walking up the pathway to his house. He unlocked the door and stood in the doorframe, waiting for her to drive off before he went inside.

She smiled bitter-sweetly, and got into her car. She turned it on, bring the engine to an audible hum. Courtney turned the heat on full blast, and waved to Trent as she drove off.

Courtney sighed as she turned a corner, feeling slightly relieved at the fact that she didn't have to answer Trent's question about Alejandro. She didn't even think she could; she had completely frozen, like a deer in the headlights.

But other than that minor detail, her getting sick, and the whole _Lindsay _thing; thinking of her name alone brought a scowl to her face, the date was wonderful. Absolutely and utterly wonderful. He was such a gentleman, and she appreciated that more than anything. Trent had made their first date so romantic and thoughtful. A smile graced her lips, and she sighed contently, her mood having lifted greatly from earlier.

This may have not been the most perfect first date ever, but she enjoyed pretty much every minute of it.

But one thing for sure was the fact that it would be the first date of many.

* * *

By GOD I hate this chapter. FLUFFINESS… EVERYWHERE… *shudders* The end was crap, the date was crap, everything was just crap, and I'm sorry. I'm really tired, and kinda bummed by personal things and the amount of reviews, but eh… I guess my writing isn't all that great. :/ Thanks to all of those who _have _reviewed, though. You guys rule. :)

It would mean the world to me if you reviewed this time. Please? :)

Hopefully my updates will come faster, but I make no promises.. Well, goodnight everyone..

~Alexex.


	11. You Will Be Mine

Hiya guys! Not much to say except enjoy the next chapter! :) Sorry for the wait!

* * *

The hallways were jam packed, like always; students hustling to get to their next classes, and to avoid getting tardys, some students going to the library to study, and others hanging around because it was their spare period.

Courtney fished around in her locker for her geography textbook, sighing as she pulled it out and cradled it in her arms. She grabbed her pencil case, and slammed the locker door shut, nearly jumping out of her shoes when she was met with the smirking visage of a certain punk.

The brunette scowled, rolling her eyes as she walked away; she was totally not in the mood for this. She had to work on her stupid geography summative, she had stupid pep rally shit to organize, campaigning to do, and on top of all that, the stupid school board thought it was a good idea to schedule a stupid cheerleader workshop, and do you want to know what two teams they requested to lead the whole thing?

The Western Heights Wildcats and the Eastwood Eagles.

Courtney was in a sour enough mood without that ass ruining her lunch, and she intended on ignoring him…until…

Her eyes traveled down to his hands, which were holding a bouquet of daises; some of her favourite flowers. How he knew that, she didn't know, but she sends him a thankful smile; although it probably came out more of like a grimace as she took them with her free hand, and inhaled their scent deeply.

His smirked widened as he leaned against the locker next to hers, and pushed up his sleeve nonchalantly.

Courtney eyed him suspiciously, Duncan sent her an innocent smile; _too _innocent.

She scoffed, and quirked an eyebrow irritably. "Okay, _what _is your problem?"

"You." He replied.

Courtney furrowed her brow, and put the flowers in her locker rather carelessly; it was a sweet gesture, but knowing Duncan, this probably all some elaborate rouse to get her to sleep with him. Which was _so _not happening! She has a boyfriend, and she lo-… cares for him deeply.

"_You _won't go on a date with me, and, haha, darlin', that just won't do…" He smirked, swinging an arm around her shoulders. Courtney scowled and quickly shrugged it off. She sighed angrily, glaring at him.

"Oh really? Well, _Duncan, _did you ever care to think that I _don't _want to go on a date with you because, oh, I don't know, you're the biggest asshole in the history of giant assholes? Just leave me alone!" She huffed, brushing past him and starting to head down to the geography classroom.

Duncan scowled, before grabbing her wrist and yanking her back over.

"Ow! Hey!" She exclaimed, ripping her wrist out of his grasp; it burned and tingled, and she didn't like it. She didn't like the electricity shooting up her arm, and the way it sped up her heartbeat.

Only _one _person should be able to that, and it really bugged her that it happened with another.

With _him, _no less.

"You're being unreasonable," he mumbled darkly, his clear blue gaze fixated on her intensely. Courtney faltered a bit under that gaze, before she glared again.

Green, not blue.

Trent, _never _him.

"And _you're _being a douche, so I'm just going to walk away now. Leave me _alone._" She hissed, running off to class.

Duncan growled, narrowing his eyes after her.

That's the third time this _week _that's she's rejected him, and he didn't like it.

Didn't like it at all.

Duncan wasn't normally one to try this hard at anything; let alone trying to get a girl, but she was different. And different intrigued him…

She was bitter, yet sweet. Lively, yet calm. Harsh, yet kind.

He ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, and eyed the people in the halls with a critical eye.

They were all the same. Worried about the same things, thinking about the same things, _doing _the same things _everyday_. And it was boring as _hell_.

The five-minute warning bell chimed over the buzz of the hallway, which meant five minutes left until he ditched this shit-hole. English Lit. was a drag, and it wasn't like learning about the effing Renaissance would help benefit his life; in fact, it actually hindered his ability to fantasize about chicks instead of paying attention.

Duncan stuffed his hands into his pockets and fazed away into the liveliness of the halls, until a cold pale hand clamped onto his elbow and yanked him over.

Duncan glared fiercely at the culprit, before realization dawned and a flicker of interest flashed in his blue orbs. It died quickly, as the womanizer plastered on a scowl and snorted at the girl in front of him.

Her charcoal eyes narrowed critically on the punk, and she hugged her sketchbook closer to her gaunt body.

"Why." She stated; she didn't end her sentence with an upward inflection, because that would insinuate that she cared enough to do so.

Which definitely wouldn't do.

Duncan quirked an eyebrow at her, before lazily leaning against the lockers behind him and crossing his arms. His eyes traveled over her stature, taking in every attribute that separated her from everyone else.

Her hair.

Her body.

Her mind.

_Her._

"Because, _doll_, I can," was his response, and his voice was cold and dark, matching his frigid eyes. A ghost of a smirk danced on his lips, yet the notion carried to his eyes, as they glinted dangerously.

"She'll _never_ be as good for you as me, Duncan." Gwen glared, shaking her head condescendingly. Duncan merely rolled her eyes, which only made her shadowy glare narrow. Gwen brushed past him, and stalked off, her dark aura clouding over her like the air before a thunderstorm. She stopped dead in her tracks before ripping out a handful of sketches in her notebook, and throwing them onto the dirty floor to be stepped on and wrecked, like her heart.

As Gwen continued her walk, Duncan cast his gaze to the beautiful pictures on the ground, watching with half-lidded eyes as they were swept up with the hustle and bustle of the hallway, ripping and crinkling under everyone's feet.

The final bell to signal the beginning of class rung, and any last minute stragglers quickly made it to their respective classrooms, leaving Duncan to stand alone.

His eyes flickered as he picked up one of Gwen's crumpled sketches, and, his gaze stony and unmoving, Duncan smoothed it out and eyed it critically.

Two black ravens were perched upon a grave, their beaks nuzzled in the other's neck, and the whole scene was shaded darkly. Duncan could only assume that the two ravens were him and Gwen.

The whole _thing _just screamed, _Gwen._

Duncan let out a quiet snort, as he crumpled the picture in his hands. As he headed towards the back door, he carelessly tossed the paper ball into the recycling bin, despite having passed many garbage bins along the way. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he left, rolling his eyes.

Unknowingly to him, a smiling LeShawna watched on from the shadows.

"He still cares," she murmured to herself, before heading off to class.

After all, Gwen had always been very pro-Kyoto.

**~TrAiToR~ **

The final bell rang, and inevitable hell was sure to break loose.

The Western Heights cheer squad sat upon the lavish bleachers their academy supplied within the gymnasium, as tense as ever.

The Easterners would be arriving at any moment now, and no one was really looking forward to it. In fact, that would be sugar coating the situation.

They were dreading it.

As captain, Courtney would be forced to make the Eagles feel "welcome", and all that _fun stuff._

The brunette let out a snort as she slouched over and rest her chin in the palms of her hands and propped her elbows up on her knees.

_Bull shit._

"What's wrong with you guys? You look more pissed than the time Courtney sneezed and made our human pyramid collapse."

Courtney growled at the sound of Heather's haughty voice, as the vixen entered the gym, fashionably late as usual. Her hair was as dark as her heart, and the strands shone under the lights hanging overhead.

"Didn't you get the memo?" piped up a tan skinned first year, who went by the name of Katie. She looked sour, which contrasted her normal sickly sweet demeanor.

The ice queen raised a perfectly waxed eyebrow, signaling the girl to go on.

Katie gulped, and twirled her pigtail around her fingers meekly.

"The Eastwood Eagles will be here any minute, and we're having a joint practice, _please don't ceremoniously burn all my clothes!_" She finished her sentence by ducking for cover and squeaking. If things weren't so edgy, everyone surely would have been in stitches.

Heather shifted her gaze over the other members of the team, and her nose crinkled up in distaste as she scowled and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Why wasn't I informed of this!" She snapped.

"Because you've ditched the last three practices to go shopping," Courtney deadpanned, with an eye roll. Heather sent her daggers, but the brunette merely ignored her and sunk lower in her seat, making the raven-haired female scoff.

"How do _you _know that!" She accused, eying Courtney suspiciously.

"Because," Courtney snorted, before sighing and standing up and backing up a few steps so she was next to Heather. "You dropped by each time and yelled, 'I'm outie, losers! There's this sale on _insert beauty product here_, and the mall is calling my name!'" Courtney quoted, sending the Asian girl a dry glance.

"Hmph. Whatever." Heather muttered frostily, scowling and crossing her arms across her chest as she turned away from the cheer captain. Seeing as things were going to commence, she joined her teammates- albeit begrudgingly, on the bleachers. She picked at her French manicure, immersing herself in the glossiness of her nails, and tuned out of Courtney's lecture.

"Alright girls, listen up. Today, we will be practicing with the Eastwood Academy Eagles, and even though none of us like this situation, we can't let _them _know that, so be on your best behavior!" Courtney instructed, slamming her fist into the palm of her hand.

The cheerleaders begrudgingly murmured affirmatives, but Heather wasn't feeling as agreeable.

"And _why _do we have to practice with those losers? Is this all part of your stupid student council campaign? To promote inter-school bonding, so you can lock in twice the amount of votes?" Heather scowled, continuing to examine her nails.

Courtney wanted to throttle the ivory skinned girl, but she quickly swallowed the urge deep down into the core of her being. She simply rolled her eyes and let out a sigh as she crossed her arms across her chest, sending Heather a look that showed that she was clearly pissed off.

"There were so many things incorrect within that statement, that I don't even know where to start. Okay, one, I hate those vapid airheads as much as you do, it was the freaking school board's idea for this. Secondly, my campaign is going so well, I don't need those bimbo's votes; you know, if they _could _vote, seeing as they _don't even go to our school!_"

Heather merely rolled her eyes, before they flickered and narrowed dangerously.

Courtney, noticing the change of mood on pretty much all of her teammates turned around, and instantly felt a scowl gracing her lips as well.

The Easterners had arrived.

There were about ten or eleven of them, and their forest green, black, and white cheer jackets were done up all the way, seeing as they had just braved the chilly December weather. Their hair was unkempt and messy from the wind, but still looked professional and stylish. A majority of the team had blonde hair, while the odd one or two had brown, black, or red hair.

They had an air of superiority about them, and it was evident on their blank and indifferent faces. The tension levels were smothering, and the silence was deafening. The Easterners placed their bags on the opposite side of the gym before leisurely making their way over to the Wildcats, eying their surroundings distastefully.

Courtney was the first to break the silence as she curled her lips up into a smile that probably looked as fake as it felt. "Welcome, Eagles. We're glad to have you here today, and we're sure this will be a very…um, eventful workshop."

The Eastwood captain stepped forward, her long golden locks swishing against the fabric of her jacket. Her clear blue eyes darted over Courtney's face, and her nose crinkled slightly before she slapped on a large, warm smile.

"Why thank you! Like, same to you! Now, seeing as you're running the workshop today I'm assuming you have warm-ups, and a few demo-routines for us to work on today…?" The girl finished her sentence with a raised eyebrow and slightly coy smile.

Courtney furrowed her brow, crossing her arms across her chest. Was that girl questioning her leadership abilities? She quickly bit back any nasty accusations and smiled warmly.

"Of course."

"Great!" the blonde chirped, before turning to her teammates and nodding twice. The girls almost simultaneously took off their jackets and began to stretch, while the Wildcats eyed them critically. The cheer captain turned her back to Courtney, and swung her hair off to her shoulder so she could tie it up into a ponytail. Courtney stared at her back for a few moments, before her eyes narrowed and she felt a twinge of hatred for the girl already.

There, in big black letters, were the words **LINDSAY WATSON **upon her shoulders.

Courtney forced herself to keep a level head as she calmly let out a smile.

"So, why don't we all get in a circle and start with an ice breaker, alright guys?" She called.

"I'm not sure one piece of gum will be able to be split by all of us, but…okay." Lindsay muttered, before standing beside the brunette as her teammates and Courtney's all got into a big circle. Courtney raised an eyebrow, with a _'You've got to be kidding'_ look on her face, and she resisted the urge to face palm when Lindsay grinned back, totally clueless.

Heather was the last to join the circle, and as she joined, she rolled her eyes and scowled irritably, making sure everyone knew that she didn't want to be here.

"What is this? Grade three? Next you're going to have us all play duck-duck-goose, aren't you, Courtney?" Heather snorted.

Courtney glared at the girl, but bit back any nasty comment she was sure to spew, because she had to be the _logical _one today, and make sure the Easterners didn't think she was a raging lunatic.

"Ha ha, very funny Heather." Courtney chortled sarcastically, rolling her eyes as well. She sent the Asian girl a snide smile as she placed one hand on her hip. "For your information, we're all going to go around in a circle, state our name, strengths, weaknesses, and what we plan on improving by the end of the workshop! Oh, and thank you for volunteering to go first!"

Everyone's gazes shifted to Heather, and she scowled before scoffing and rolling her eyes.

"My name's Heather," she droned tiredly, obviously less than thrilled to participate in this activity. "I'm great at back handsprings, front handsprings, and layouts. And really, there's nothing I'm bad at." She finished her sentence with a confident smirk, and the flip of her flowing ponytail.

"Oh really?" Courtney challenged, holding back giggles. The cheerleaders sent her a vacant expression, and the brunette tried to regain composure so they wouldn't think of her as a lunatic, but the task was harder than it seemed. "What about that one time you tried to do a hurky, and you kneed yourself in the face!"

Courtney then proceeded to burst out laughing. And when she bursts out laughing, she full on _laughs. _Like, side splitting, gut _busting_ laughter. Her bubbly laugh filled the air, sparking distasteful frowns from the Easterners and awkward and worried glances for her sanity from her teammates, all the while Heather's pale face reddened and venom swam in her charcoal eyes.

"Oh! Oh! Or that time, when you cartwheeled _right _into the bleachers!" Courtney continued, her face going red from all the laughing. They shook her core, and doubled her over. Heather clenched her fists at her side, her glossy French manicured nails digging into her palms.

"Shut _up!_" The vixen growled, as Courtney's laughs died down into giggles, and eventually the clearing of her throat. Feeling eyes upon her, Courtney was met with the disapproving glare of Lindsay, to which Courtney scowled back at.

"_What?_" She all but barked, before soothing the raging anger that she harbored for the blonde by mentally counting to ten- or rather, nine. Trent insisted she do it, for some strange reason…

"No need, to like, yell…" Lindsay pouted, which ignited glares from her teammates, which Courtney instantly shot back tenfold. "I was just going to like, say, since we only have two hours, we should, you know, do something productive."

Courtney sent her another dirty look, her freckled nose crinkling and her shoulders tensing. Was this girl, once again, criticizing her leadership abilities? Courtney wasn't one for criticism, unless she was giving it herself.

"For a warm up, we normally just run five laps, do suicides across the gym, stretch, and run a few routines. If we get into arguments we just do some yoga to help detoxify our bodies of all the negative vibes…" Lindsay smiled, pressing her palms together and bowing her head slightly. Courtney simply scowled. "And by the looks of it, you have a _lot…_" The blonde winced as Courtney's scowl deepened, before turning to her teammates at clapping twice. They instantly broke out into a fast jog, and began their laps around the gym with Lindsay on their tail.

Courtney and the Westerners begrudgingly followed suit, stony expressions plastered on their faces.

As they finished off their runs, stretched for a few minutes; though to any onlookers, it may have looked like a bending and posing contest, seeing which team was more flexible, was more toned, and who had cuter outfits. Once everyone was done, Lindsay joined Courtney at the padded mats dispersed across the floor, and smiled.

"Why don't we do some shotgun routines?" Lindsay suggested, her crystal blue eyes and pearly white teeth shimmering underneath the fluorescent lights.

Courtney furrowed her brow, "Shotgun routines?" she inquired, earning a snort and an eyebrow raise from the blonde. A good-natured smile spread across her peach flavoured lips, which was mistaken by Courtney as a snide one, making the brunette huff and scowl.

"You've never heard of them? Wowzers! Um, well, they're pretty simple… Uh, mind if I borrow one of your team members?"

Courtney's pursed lips hardly moved as she murmured a quiet, "Go ahead," and she crossed her arms across her chest.

"Hannah?" Lindsay called, turning to Heather and smiling encouragingly. The raven-haired female glared distastefully, but walked over nonetheless.

"It's _Heather!_" She snapped.

"…Right! So, I'm going to call out some cheer moves, and as soon as I say them, you have to do them, therefore making a routine! Ready?" Lindsay chirped.

Heather eyed the blonde skeptically, with much malice, "I guess-"

"Great! Back handspring!" Lindsay shouted, clapping her hands twice. Heather reluctantly did as she was instructed, making sure to throw her hands up in the hair on the dismount.

"Front hanspring, round-off, back handspring, tuck!"

Heather grunted as she did the combination, her energy starting to drain slightly.

"Hurky! Scissor kick, summersault, right split, side split, aerial, tumble-run!"

Heather pushed herself out of her split and quickly did an aerial, before getting a running head start on her tumble run, her breathing becoming laboured and choppy.

"Not bad…" Lindsay grinned, applauding the distraught Heather, which only made both her and Courtney hate her more. Never in a million years would Courtney praise Heather's half-assed efforts, and never in a million would Heather feel patronized. Insults bubbling on both their tongues, Heather and Courtney both opted to snort and cross their arms, rather than voice their opinions. They didn't want the Easterners to have any more reason to judge them. "Ooh! My turn! Courtney, care to do the honours?"

"Whatever," muttered the brunette, before she sighed and stepped forward as Lindsay took the floor. She flipped her golden locks and bent her knees, readying herself for any command Courtney threw at her.

"Uh… Layout, aerial, tumble-run round off, round off, back handspring tuck." Courtney instructed, her face indifferent as she watched the blonde jump around.

"That all you got?" Lindsay giggled, finishing off her tuck with an added hurky for flair, and a dazzling smile on her pretty face. She turned to the cheerleaders and pursed her lips. "Partner up, everyone! You're going to be doing the same thing as me and Courtney! Eagles, pair up with a Wildcat, and find an open space on the mats! …Ooh, goodie, that rhymed!" She grinned, clapping her hands and hopping up and down childishly.

The girls obeyed, while Courtney slouched and glared, growling quietly to herself. How could someone so vapid, succeed at effectively stealing _her _thunder!

Granted, Courtney didn't really _want _the alleged 'thunder' in the first place- she didn't give damn. But it would be a _cold _day in hell if she let that _bimbo_ have it!

"Care to give it another go?" Lindsay's voice snapped Courtney out of her thoughts, and the brunette eyed the blonde distastefully before sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Fine," she agreed halfheartedly.

As Lindsay crouched and eyed the teen determinedly, Courtney's mind couldn't help but wander. She sized up Lindsay, and couldn't help but come to the resentful conclusion that she was _ridiculously _attractive. Not to mention nauseatingly-sweet, and had the added bonus of going to the same school as Trent…

What if he decides that she's better than Courtney?

Courtney felt her eyes widen as she processed Lindsay's probability of getting with Trent.

It was highly probable that they were getting together even now…

"Helloooo? Earth to Courtney?" Lindsay's chipper voice once again snapped Courtney out of her mental reverie, and the brunette scowled as she rolled her eyes, and began to lazily call out commands.

"Full, double full, Arabian, front handspring, left split." Courtney called.

Lindsay rolled her eyes as she went down into her split, the buzz of the other cheerleaders spurring out commands nothing but blurs in her ears, as she focused in on Courtney. Her piercing blue eyes were narrowed in concentration, and she pushed herself out of her split before scoffing slightly.

"This is like, so-"

"Hurky!"

Lindsay jumped up and did a mid air split, touching her right foot to her hand before continuing her sentence.

"-lame, to think I'm-"

"Hurky!"

Jump, split, touch.

"-missing my study_ date_ with-"

"Hurky!"

Jump, split, touch.

"-Trent for this!"

Courtney's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a wave of anger crashed over her as her jaw clenched.

"_Hurky!_" She barked.

Jump, split, touch.

"Hurky! Hurky! Hurky! Hurky! Hurky! _Hurky! Hurky! Hurky!_ HURKY! _HURKY!_" Courtney screamed.

Jump, split, touch.

Jump, split, touch.

Jump, split, touch.

Jump, split, touch.

Jump, split, touch.

Jump, split, fall.

"_Owwwwwww!_" Lindsay cried, tears lining her eyes and her hands clutching the ankle she fell on. Everyone instantly fell silent, and turned their attention to both Lindsay and Courtney. Courtney stared down at Lindsay with slightly wide eyes, unsure what to do, while the Easterners eyed her with malice and instantly rushed to their captain's aid. Heather rolled her eyes, but didn't hesitate in giving Courtney a smirk and nod of approval.

"Oh, Lindsay, are you okay?" cried a fellow blonde who bore a strong resemblance to her, and helped her to her feet. Lindsay whimpered in pain, and the short blonde swung her arm over her own shoulders to support her.

"Nooo… my ankle _really _hurts, Paula…" Lindsay sniffled.

Paula sent Courtney a withering glare, and her teammates quickly followed suit.

"What did you do!" She snapped at Courtney; the brunette was taken aback by the hostility in the Lindsay clone, but didn't falter.

"I gave her her commands, like I was supposed to! It's not _my_ fault she can't land a simple hurky properly." Courtney defended, ending her sentence with a scoff, an eye roll, and the crossing of her arms.

Paula scowled and rubbed the quietly sobbing Lindsay's shoulder soothingly.

"My big sister could out hurky _you _any day!" She shouted.

Courtney threw her head back and let out a mirthful laugh, before she snidely smirked at the blonde and raised an eyebrow. "Oh really? Let's see her try! …Oh, wait, looks like she _can't._" Courtney snorted.

The Easterners' scowls deepened and they began to murmur behind her back, while the Westerners sent them glares, and went to back up Courtney. Paula huffed before devoting her attention to her big sister, adoringly.

"Can you try and put some pressure on your ankle, Linds?" She asked, her voice in a pitying coo, which made Courtney scrunch up her nose and roll her eyes.

Lindsay meekly attempted, before she cringed and stopped. "Ow…" She whined, and her cheerleading cronies gasped collectively and fretted for her health, like she had leukemia or something. Paula frowned, before shooting daggers at Courtney as she hugged her sister tighter.

"If she can't cheer at the big championship game, you're gonna _fry, _Westerner!" She hissed, her jaw locked in an angry sneer.

Courtney sent her a look, before glaring and placing her hands on her hips, incredulously.

"Is that a _threat?_" She seethed, raising an eyebrow challengingly.

Paula mimicked the brunette's actions, and added an eye roll.

"I dunno, you tell me."

Courtney gasped, before her eyes narrowed and she clenched her fists at her sides. "Why you little…" she growled, before Heather placed a hand on her shoulder. Courtney sent her an inquisitive glance, before rolling her eyes at the look of pure pain and struggle on Heather's face.

"Just drop it, Court. Even _I _know this isn't worth it, and we all know how much I love to bicker." Heather muttered.

Courtney was sure she'd regret it later, but she found herself following _Heather's _advice, and she just counted to nine and took a deep breath.

"W-we should go," Lindsay murmured, frailly nodding towards the clock which- thank the heavens, read four-thirty, signaling the end of this disastrous workshop, to everyone's relief. The Easterners put their jackets back on and collected their belongings. They left with snide remarks about who would out cheer the other at the big game, to which the Westerners shot back rebuttals.

Lindsay, with the aid of Paula, limped out of the gymnasium, but not without one hostile glare in Courtney's direction; one that was instantly returned by the brunette, who was already beyond aggravated.

Once the Eagles were completely gone, the Wildcats began to harshly talk about them, like they were trash and disgusting whores. Courtney sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, before turning the cheerleaders and rolling her eyes.

"Well _that _sure went well," she droned sarcastically. "Make sure you're all here for tomorrow, 2:30 _sharp, _or it's burpies until dawn!" She shouted, making the girls groan, or in Heather's case, scoff and plan to get her massage two days early.

Once the whispered conversations and footsteps faded to silence, Courtney stormed over to the bleachers, let out an angry scream and kicked them with all her might. A dent where her right shoe collided with the metal remained, and she clutched at her hairline as she breathed heavily, hot tears of frustration streaming down her tanned face.

Courtney shrugged off the stabbing pain in her foot as she wiped away her tears and tried to calm herself, to no avail. She let out a long sigh as she scooped up her knapsack and lazily swung it over her shoulder.

"Sounds like someone needs some pick-me-up."

Courtney jumped out of alarm, before her onyx gaze settled on the olive-eyed compassionate blonde, Bridgette. She was smiling shyly, her long hair cascading down her back like the waves she often surfed. She'd changed out of her school uniform, and instead wore a simple sky blue hoodie, blue jeans, and Uggs. Whenever Courtney criticized her extremely mainstream choice in winter footwear, Bridgette simply grinned and said they were comfy, and that she felt like a bear. That's what Courtney loved about Bridgette. How she could handle criticism so well, and make you feel like you've known her forever even though it's only been a couple of years. She kept Courtney zen, which was highly useful due to the brunette's workaholic tendencies.

Though the two had had a minor falling out, they had quickly forgiven each other over soy-chai lattés, (lactose and gluten free, of course) and giggles over how far Noah is in the closet. ("That boy is so far in the closet, he has daily escapades in Narnia!")

"Mall?" Bridgette smiled, holding her arm out for an arm link.

Courtney cracked a genuine smile for the first time that day, and was grateful to have such a great best friend.

"Mall." Courtney agreed, walking over to the blonde and linking arms with her, and inhaling her ocean-mist body spray.

The two exited the gymnasium arm in arm, and Courtney had never been more thankful for an ocean breeze in chilly December.

**~TrAiToR~**

Harold always hated staying late at school. The douchebag-to-nerd ratio was tremendously out of whack, making the halls seem like a shark tank at feeding time.

And like he was the bait.

Nervously squeezing his way through the chaos, he sought out his destination, silently cheering for his mad slinking skills.

He reached out to turn the doorknob, before two sets of rough hands clamped onto his spindly frame, and lifted him up several inches off the ground.

Harold wheezed and sputtered, flailing weakly and calling out cries for help as he was roughly shoved into the seemingly empty storeroom.

"Gah! Help! This is extremely unhonourable of you guys, come on- _hey!_" Harold exclaimed, before being roughly dropped, and he groaned as his freckled nose met the cold, hard, floor.

"_Idiots…_" He muttered under his breath, as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and adjusted his glasses so they weren't crooked. He squinted in the darkness of the storage room, before his gaze focused on what seemed to be a desk and a large, swivel chair. The silence was unsettling, and Harold knew, after watching a plethora of 1960's mafia movies, that this was not a good situation…

For him, at least.

Suddenly, a flashlight was shone in his face, making the ginger cringe and shield his eyes, to try and stop the discomfort.

"It's been a week," said a voice, (it was the one shining the flashlight, Harold assumed) "have you found out who's been fraternizing with the target yet, nerd?"

"Yes, yes, no need to damage my retinas at such a point-blank range, _gosh…_" Harold scowled.

The flashlight-wielder's silhouette was seen briefly glancing to it's right briefly, before the blob in the swivel chair shifted, and suddenly all light cut out.

Darkness.

Silence.

Light.

Harold winced, as stars clouded his vision. He blinked them away, before a sudden feeling of apprehension appeared in his stomach.

Sitting there, high and mighty with a smirk on his tanned face, was Alejandro Burromeurto.

His goons, Tyler and Justin both had stony expressions on their faces and had their arms crossed across their chiseled chests, a flashlight loosely gripped in Tyler's hand.

"Well?" spoke the Latin snake, his voice as smooth as velvet; yet it still had it's signature frigidness, and like its owner, seemed to have ulterior motives. "Who is it?"

Harold could feel the sweat start to pour down his pale and pasty face, before he audibly gulped.

"Well.. As a fellow man of honour, I'm sure you can understand why I can't tell you."

Alejandro's fists slammed onto the desk, as his emerald green eyes narrowed into an enraged glare.

"_What?_" He snapped, making the auburn-locked geek jump. "Why!"

"Because, a true friend comes before all, and no matter what you try to fool me into believing, I realize now that you are _far_ from a true friend, Alejandro!" Harold stated confidently, and knowingly sealing his fate.

"You just made, un gran mistake, empollón." The Latino growled, before he turned towards Justin and Tyler, his eyes narrowing into a dangerous glint. "He's of no use to me anymore, do what you want with him." He grumbled.

Harold cried out in pain as Justin roughly yanked him to his feet, by his hair. The two cronies said nothing as they dragged the wailing Harold out of the storeroom, while he cried out "Gosh!" and/or "Idiots!" every so often. As the door slammed behind them, Alejandro slouched over the desk, his fingers intertwined, and his elbow propped up on the table.

"Your elusive ways have captivated me once again, la belleza…" He muttered against his fingers, his eyes flickering in thought. "Whomever it is that is keeping you from me, will _pay _dearly."

Alejandro's jaw clenched, as the realization that he was now losing, crossed his mind.

He _hated _losing.

Alejandro shut his eyes momentarily, as he started to develop a game plan to get his beloved chuchería back.

A wicked smirk spread across his thin lips, as his ideas began to churn in his brain and progress into a sinister ploy.

"Mark my words, perra… You _will _be mine."

* * *

FINALLY! HUZZAH! THE BLOCK IS OVER, AND THE STORY'S ROLLIN' ON AGAIN!

Looks like Courtney and Lindsay have met for the first time, and it definitely will not be the last time…

As for the whole Harold-Alejandro scene, that wasn't even going to be a part of this chapter, but I think it was the right decision to add. Harold, our beloved honourable madskills ninja was originally a 'double agent' and mole for Alejandro, but he realizes that ratting out Trent would be most unhonourable.

As for Paula, many think that she she's Lindsay's older sister, but way back in TDI episode five, Lindsay says Paula's her "sister". She doesn't specify whether she's older or younger, so I decided to make Paula the little sister for a change. :P

Muchos thanks to **TrueJackVP408, **and **Princess Absahail **for their aid. This chapter wouldn't be done if it weren't for them. They've helped me more than they thought they have, so this chapter is dedicated to them! Oh! As well as **TheaterOfTheMind! **Thanks for the awesome fan-art! :D

I guess this concludes this extremely long author's note, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Hopefully the next update won't take as long!

Please review!

~Alexex


	12. Wait For the Signal

I'm sorry this is so late, but I've literally had NO time to work on this. :S Sorry!

* * *

The December wind was cold and unforgivable that evening, Trent noticed, and he hastily rubbed his palms together for warmth. His red ears prickled and his thick black hair ruffled and whipped at his ivory face. It was only a quarter-to-five, yet the sun had almost completely plummeted behind the hilled horizon. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his blond companion to show up; Trent rolled his green eyes, and wrapped his jacket around him tighter. Leave it to Geoff to be fashionably late.

After Lindsay had canceled their study session (thank the lord for that- if she asked him why there were no flies in _Lord of the Flies _one more time, Trent was going to full on lose it. No middle ground.) him and Geoff had made plans to go to the mall to just hang, seeing as they both had nothing to do on this chilly Thursday night. He was desperate need of guitar picks, seeing as they seemed to all go missing every couple of weeks, and Geoff said he needed to buy his sister a necklace for Christmas. It was quite odd, considering Geoff didn't _have _a sister for one, and when Trent brought this to the party-crazed blond's attention, the male simply paled slightly and nervously clarified it was for his cousin, and for him not to worry about it. Trent, not wanting to get his nose caught in Geoff's business, simply shrugged and dropped the matter.

Letting out a sigh, Trent watched as his breath pooled out of his mouth into dainty swirls, before disintegrating into the dark sky.

A few moments passed, before a luxury coach bus made it's way into the campus parking lot, the headlights casting a temporary luminosity over Trent's stature. The vehicle slowed down to a stop, the hum of the engine silencing as the door open. Girls began to poor out of the bus, each with impassive airs. Their sweat pants hung loosely over their knockout curves, and their sports jackets were done up all the way, sleek and crisp looking. Their stony visages were focused on the path ahead, as they passed Trent to enter the school, giving him a curt nod of recognition.

What threw Trent off, was when Lindsay, with the aid of her sister hobbled off the bus, looking like she was in great pain. Her sister looked peeved (then again, when wasn't she?) and pooling out of the older blonde's eyes were tears. Trent could feel concern welling up within him, and the need to go see if she was all right.

Lindsay sniffled, before looking up and wilting once her clear blue eyes met Trent's. She left her sister's arms and ran, limping the entire way to Trent, throwing herself into his arms and breaking down into tears.

Trent's green eyes widened in shock and moreover, confused. He could feel her legs start to buckle due her weak angle and he wrapped his arms around her to hold her up so she wouldn't fall.

"Lindsay, what's wrong?" He asked.

"Oh T-Trent, it was _h-horibble!_" Lindsay sobbed, digging her face into his chest. "I should have _never _blown off our study date, I would have never met that horrible _Courtney,_" the blonde spat out the aforementioned girl's name like it was an awful taste. Trent stiffened in her embrace, at the mention of his girlfriend's name.

Lindsay's sobs broke the tense silence like the vicious wind, and she pulled back slightly to stare into Trent's eyes. Her nose was red and puffy, her makeup smeared down her face, and her eyes were red and ridden with tears. Yet she was still beautiful.

"I'd have much rather studied with you… And n-now, because of _her_, I probably won't be able t-to cheer at the championship _game!_" Lindsay sniveled, clutching at the back of his jacket with her manicured nails.

Trent had never felt more awkward than that in his entire life. And that's saying something. He looked around, feebly, for anyone who could save him.

"Calm down, Lindsay, please calm down…" Trent pleaded, bringing down the volume in her cries. His soft voice brought Lindsay to silence, and she batted her long eyelashes, a few tears sliding down her cheeks and meshing with the dried ones. He brushed her tears away with his thumb, shutting his eyes for a brief moment.

Her cheek was cold, and wet.

Courtney's was always warm and soft.

Trent nearly jumped away from the blonde as he came back to his senses, before catching Lindsay by her elbow as she lost her balance, saving her from tumbling to the ground. He sighed, steadying her before backing away.

"We can study some other time, okay Lindsay?" Trent reassured her, keeping his gaze locked with the ice-cold pavement beneath his sneakers.

Lindsay's expression wilted slightly and a few more tears spilled out of her eyes, before she plastered on a small smile her cold fingers twitching at her sides.

"This weekend, maybe?" She offered.

Geoff finally made his way out of the school, to Trent's relief, looking distracted and flustered. Trent glanced back at him over his shoulder, before facing Lindsay.

"I dunno, we'll see." The raven-haired male let out reluctantly. Lindsay's miniscule smile broadened faintly, and she nodded.

"Okay…" She murmured, before starting to walk away. Her first step was perfect before her eyes widened and she quickly forced herself off balance. She continued to limp pathetically into the school, Geoff averting his eyes when she passed him.

Trent let out an agitated sigh and headed towards his car, Geoff falling in pace with him. "Dude, what took so long!"

"Sorry!" The blond winced, "I just… had to take care of some stuff!"

Trent sighed once more, rolling his green eyes as they got into his car, and he shoved his key in the ignition, turning it on. He pulled out of the Eastwood Prep student parking lot, and onto the road.

Geoff glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, questions buzzing around in his mind like wasps.

Questions that all pertained to a certain buxom blonde, that goes by the name of Lindsay.

"Trent, bro, can I…uh, ask you something?" Geoff asked, drumming his fingers against his knee.

Trent's eyes were focused on the road ahead, and his grip on the steering wheel was tight. "Kinda busy here, Geoff," he responded, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the dark road ahead.

Ignoring Trent's comment with an eye roll, the blond ploughed on. "So, you sure you and Lindsay _aren't _a… I dunno, thing?" He questioned.

Trent's eyes widened out of shock, before he forced an indifferent expression, rolling his eyes. "Positive." He replied.

Geoff still wasn't totally convinced, and the uncertainty showed on his handsome face.

Trent stole a glance at the skater, before letting out an annoyed sigh, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. "For the last time, Lindsay and I are _just friends._" The raven-haired male stressed.

Geoff bit his lip, deciding there was no subtle way to voice his thoughts, came right out with it.

"Are you friends with benefits?"

Trent slammed on the brakes, his eyes wide and expression shocked. "WHAT?" He shouted, as Geoff nearly slammed his forehead on the dashboard. Almost instantly, the car lurched forward again, and the sickening sound of metal clanging against metal filled the air as both Trent and Geoff face planted into the dashboard, Trent hitting the steering wheel and Geoff hitting the glove compartment.

"Son of a _bitch!_" Geoff hissed, rubbing the bridge of his nose and his forehead.

The sound of wheels turning behind them as a car started and screeched, as it began to drive off. Trent, beyond pissed at Geoff for asking such a ridiculous question, himself for being an idiot, and the driver for the hit and run, rolled down his window, leaning out of it.

"Bastard!" He shouted after them.

The driver in the other car, which was a shining silver Lexus with a pristine, silver paint job, stuck their arm out the tinted window, their middle finger poised.

"Fuck you too, _douchebag!_" They screeched back, before honking and driving off. Trent could've sworn the voice sounded familiar. He let out a growl, before jumping out of the car to inspect it, relieved that there wasn't any and let out a sigh. He got back into the car, before continuing down the road. Geoff sheepishly glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, an impish smile on his face.

"So, is that a yes?"

"_NO,_ GEOFF!"

**~TrAiToR~**

Grip tight on the steering wheel, jaw clenched and shoulders tense, Courtney didn't give shit that she was probably going over the speed limit, and Bridgette's olive green eyes were wide with worry as they zoomed down the parkway, the mall only a few more minutes away. She let out a quiet growl as Bridgette awkwardly fumbled with the drawstring of her hoodie, before playing with the tassels on her toque. To break the tension, she plastered on her signature warm and teasing smile.

"Road rage much, Court?"

Courtney sent her blonde companion a bitter look, before rolling her eyes as they drove up the road and into the mall parking lot. "Fucking asshole, why the hell would you brake like that in the middle of the fucking _street, _ugh!" the brunette muttered under her breath.

As her rage simmered down a few notches to utter disdain and sourness, Courtney maneuvered through the parking lot, before finding a spot relatively close to the main entrance, which was surprising considering how close it was to December and chaotic early Christmas shopping. Shutting off the engine, Courtney grabbed her purse as Bridgette grabbed her bamboo reed handbag, and the two teenaged girls exited the vehicle. They each sucked in a breath as the frigid air met their skin, and Goosebumps began to dot their forearms.

They started to walk over to the entrance, before Courtney froze when she saw the car parked a few spaces away from hers. Rage started to swell up inside the Latina and despite any self control she began to storm up to the car that had the gall to slam on the breaks in front of her, unannounced. Bridgette's eyes widened as she realized what her friend was going to do, and she quickly scurried after the brunette, her Uggs boots scuffing against the pavement as she walked.

"Court, no!" Bridgette pleaded. But it was no use.

"Hey! You!" Courtney yelled, her eyes narrowed in anger and her hands on her hips as her jaw clenched. The car's engine sputtered to a stop before she saw movement inside of it. "Get out here, so I can give you a piece of my…" Her voice died in the back of her throat as the owner of the car stepped out, onto the pavement. Her eyes widened and her face paled slightly as she was met with equally shocked daring green eyes. Trent and Courtney stared at each other awkwardly as the door on the passenger side swung open and out stepped Geoff. Bridgette tensed, her big, doe-like olive eyes nearly falling off her face as she gaped at him, blushing furiously. Geoff also displayed signs of shock, as his normally blank face became even blanker.

"U-uh…" Courtney felt incredibly foolish finding out that the driver she had cussed out was Trent after not seeing him for so long, and wanted no more than to curl up and die from terminal embarrassment.

The awkward silence felt as cold as the icy air outside.

Bridgette cleared her throat, before her inquisitive gaze fell on Trent. Her olive green eyes darted up and down his stature before recognition swirled in her eyes and she gasped. "Hey! You're that one guy from the post-game party!" She exclaimed.

Trent blinked a few times, before nodding as he recalled what she was talking about. He plastered on his signature warm smile. "Right! I remember now."

Bridgette cast her gaze between Courtney and Trent, before her hands flew up to her mouth as she gasped, a grin on her soft pink lips. "Oh… _Oh!_ You're the guy… and she… you two are…?" She sputtered, as all her previous interrogations of Courtney started coming back to her. Bridgette's eyes darted over to Courtney, and her Cheshire-esque grin widened tenfold when she saw the tan skinned brunette lower her gaze and bite her lip, her face reddening slightly.

"You _are!_" The blonde squealed, before scurrying up to Trent and grasping his right hand with both of her hands tightly, locking gazes with him and smiling kind-heartedly. "Nice to finally meet you!"

"Thanks, you too…" Trent replied politely, smiling back. Something about Bridgette's firm handshake and infectious smile made him trust her.

"I'm Bridgette by the way."

"I'm Trent."

"Cool! Court, why didn't you introduce us sooner?" the blonde cast her best friend a glance over her shoulder, one which Courtney shyed away from, still feeling rather shocked and embarrassed.

"U-uh… Brrrrrr, I'm cold, why don't we head inside?" Courtney said lamely, smiling meekly and jerking her thumb towards the shopping centre in a haste attempt at changing the subject.

Geoff, seeming to finally find his voice nodded in agreement. "Sounds good to me."

"There's this new Italian restaurant that just opened by _PINK, _and I heard they make _killer _vegetarian dishes! Anyone hungry?" Bridgette piped up, sending a warm, and vaguely flirtatious smile to Geoff. The blonde skater felt his face flush and he cleared his throat.

"I'm hungry…" He mumbled.

"I could go for a bite," shrugged Trent.

Courtney sighed knowing that going against the majority would be stupid started walking towards the Galleria Mall.

"There better not be a line up," she muttered.

Trent stared after her, his brow furrowing in concern as he followed her. Once Geoff and Bridgette were sure they were alone, at least for a moment they smiled at each other longingly. Their cold fingers intertwined indiscreetly as they trailed after Courtney and Trent.

Geoff wondered how he'd be able to sneak away to buy her the sapphire necklace he had saved up for, for her.

But as he lost himself in her olive orbs, he knew that everything would turn out all right.

They both knew.

**~TrAiToR~ **

"Hey, what's wrong?" Trent asked. Trying to keep up with the intangible brunette was proving to be quite a challenge, as she pretty much ran through the corridors of the mall towards the new Italian restaurant Bridgette was talking about.

She ignored him and continued her fast paced walk before Trent's concern intensified.

"Courtney!" He exclaimed.

Courtney stopped dead in her tracks, and turned towards him and burying her face in her hands. She slid them down her face before sighing heavily, a frown accentuating her lips.

"I have _never… _been more embarrassed in my _entire _life." She said, before burying her face in her hands once more. Trent's turtle green eyes softened as he walked up to her, and he offered her a small reassuring smile.

"Courtney," he murmured.

"And I'm sorry if I sounded like a drama queen back there, I've just been having the worst day of my life and was in desperate need of shopping therapy…" She ploughed on, having not have heard him.

Trent took a step closer to her, wrapping his arms around the oblivious brunette. "Courtney," he said a bit louder.

Courtney simply sighed, too enthralled with her current calculated and detailed explanation of her rage-aholoic outburst. "And I just wanted to say, I'm sorry and I didn't mean-"

She was cut off by Trent pressing his lips against hers in a gentle and yearning kiss. Courtney's onyx eyes widened for a brief moment before they fluttered closed as she kissed him back, her fingers getting lost in his thick black hair. Trent broke the kiss begrudgingly, sending her a small smile.

Courtney returned the smile, before lowering her gaze shyly. "Was that just to shut me up?" She asked.

Trent's smile widened slightly and he shrugged. "Maybe."

Courtney smacked his chest and giggled, before they both fell silent, each of them thinking of their own queries.

Courtney kept peeking at the people walking past them self-consciously, feeling awkward and on edge. What if someone she knew saw her here, draped all over him like some harlot? Or worse, what if someone from Eastwood saw them… would be able to tell she was from the west side? Is it true that they could smell fear? Courtney bit her lip nervously, before she forced herself to be calm. She was being ridiculously paranoid.

Trent couldn't get his mind off of Lindsay, despite how much he wanted to. Ironically, despite Courtney being a Westerner and Lindsay going to Eastwood with him, Trent felt like even more of a traitor when the beautiful blonde showed up. And he hated himself more everyday that second-guessed his feelings for Courtney, because a tiny part in the back of his mind knew that things would be easier with Lindsay.

Trent sighed and looked down, before meeting Courtney's gaze. His troubled expression instantly withered away and he smiled at her. She returned one, before standing on her tiptoes in order to plant a soft kiss behind his ear.

"Everything alright?" She murmured, concernedly.

Trent nodded and cleared the fog out of his mind, before his gentle smile widened and he leaned down to kiss the brunette's pursed lips. It was a short and sweet kiss, and overly tender. It brought a mild blush to Courtney's cheeks.

Things probably _would _be easier with Lindsay, he mused.

But… then again, love was never easy, was it?

"Yes," Trent let out, smiling at her as if she were the only thing left in the world. "Everything is perfect."

**~TrAiToR~**

Bridgette had never been one to conceal her emotions. Nope, _no way, _it was just too hard for the bubbly blonde to handle. If Bridgette was sad, she was _sad. _If Bridgette was happy, she would be even more of a walking embodiment of sunshine.

But when she was excited…?

Bridgette got rather… _sly, _for lack of a better word when she was "excited".

No one expected Saint Bridgette to ever act voluptuous, no, no, never, _ever. _Some said her constant jabber about saving the rainforest and the ice caps and the oceans (dear lord, don't _ever _get Bridgette started on the oceans…) was a _major _cockblock.

But they never denied her natural charm and beauty.

She was athletically built, with strong swimmer's legs and despite never wearing make up, her lashes were incredibly long. Her pearly smile was enchanting and her soft honey blonde hair always smelt mildly like coconuts. She usually kept it tied off her pretty face with a few pieces left out for a nice fringe.

But when she let her long, wavy hair down? It reminded those of the waves that surfer shredded herself.

It didn't need to be said, but Bridgette was gorgeous.

Modest, but gorgeous.

"Bridge, oh, wow, babe, your _hair…_" Geoff drawled as Bridgette reached behind her head and tugged her golden locks out of their hair elastic. They fell around her shoulders as she grinned slyly, running her fingers through its length tantalizingly slow, teasing her secret love. Her fingers trembled as adrenaline coursed through her veins, elated to be reunited with Geoff after so long. From her position in Geoff's lap, she could already tell she needed not to do much more to make him excited.

Geoff cupped the back of her thighs spreading her legs more to bring her closer to him, and she straddled him with her powerful legs eagerly, her olive eyes slightly glazed in wanting. His bright blue eyes were lidded as his hands flew up into Bridgette's thick blonde hair, instantly getting lost as he brought her face close to his. Their lips met aggressively, Bridgette giggling into the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Geoff's broad shoulders. Football and hockey had served him well.

Bridgette could start to feel herself starting to get needy, as a knot of lust coiled around inside her stomach. She moaned quietly as she felt Geoff slowly start to lift her sweater over her head and she broke the kiss to let him do. She remembered her first time with Geoff as if it were yesterday… how scared she was… how surprisingly caring _he _was… and how quick it was…

Quick, yet meaningful.

Barely able to stop giggling, Bridgette started raking her fingernails down Geoff's chiseled chest, as he chuckled quietly. He quickly tossed her hoodie to the side, before he latched his hungry lips to Bridgette's neck, sucking and nibbling the skin. Bridgette arched her back, her breath hitching as she lifted her chin to give Geoff more access. She smiled dopily as she played with his hair, and his fingers sneaked up her shirt and began to fumble with the bra hooks beneath her tank top.

"A-are you sure your friend won't mind us- oh _God, _Geoff… -being in h-here?" Bridgette asked, as Geoff's lips started to travel lower and lower on her neck.

Geoff simply grunted in response, unhooking her bra and pulling it out from under her shirt, earning a shiver and moan from the blonde.

"He won't mind as long as he doesn't know," he replied huskily.

"Ooh, dangerous…" giggled Bridgette.

Geoff smirked, sliding his hands down her toned stomach and slid them around her body, before he cupped her rear.

"What can I say? I _live _for living on the edge, baby…" He grumbled, earning a giggle from Bridgette. She kissed him deeply, and lovingly, fully knowing that he'd return the kiss with the same amount of passion.

She broke the kiss for a short moment, sending him her warm smile and Geoff smiled back adoringly.

"This can't be too long, we shouldn't leave Court and Trent waiting…" Bridgette murmured, begrudgingly.

Geoff pouted. "But it's been weeks since I've seen you, Bridge… who knows how long it will be until I see you again? I want to make my short moments with you as meaningful as I can. Because I…"

Now, Geoff was far from weak. He could bench one hundred and thirty pounds. He was quarter back for the football team.

So why couldn't he say that four letter word?

He simply sighed, frustrated at himself before gorging himself on Bridgette's slightly bruised lips. Bridgette eyes widened slightly at the force, but she kissed back nonetheless.

She knew how Geoff felt.

He'd never been much of a man with words, anyway. He was more of a man of action.

**~TrAiToR~**

Courtney tapped her foot impatiently as she and Trent waited in line to be seated at _Le Poivron, _the hip new Italian restaurant Bridgette was talking about. Why the name of the restaurant was French never ceased to confuse them. Courtney let out an agitated sigh, eying the couple in front of her with scorn.

Trent intertwined their fingers in a soothing manner, smiling to himself as he watched Courtney's tense shoulders relax slightly. She cast a side-glance at him, and he leaned down so that he was about her height.

"Sorry I'm so impatient, I'm just a lot more hungry than I thought I would be, and it smells really good in here…" The brunette admitted, sheepishly.

Trent chuckled, as they finally reached the front of the line. The hostess greeted them with a thousand-watt smile and her buggy onyx eyes widened in shock. Her tanned complexion was a bit darker than Courtney's, and she towered over the two lovers by several inches, which was shocking because she adorned a pair of clunky ballet flats upon her feet.

What made her look even more odd was her bright, purple hair. It was tied back into a large bun atop her head and it was huge in circumference due to the thickness and amount of hair the girl had.

"Hi guys! Welcome to _Le Poivron_!" She exclaimed, barely able to contain herself. "Heh heh, hi Courtney!" She grinned.

Courtney, taken aback and slightly creeped out crinkled her nose and furrowed her brow in confusion. "U-uh, how do you know my name?" She asked, her voice trembling.

The hostess chuckled before snorting, as she waved a hand dismissively. "Wow, I can't believe you can't remember me, silly beans! We were like, best friends in grade eight and used to have life chats, and you were in my third period Law class last year!"

Courtney, still in the dark about who the hell this crazy person was, simply nodded, smiling fakely. "Oh _yeah… _Glad to see you, um… " Courtney quickly looked down- or up, rather, seeing how tall the girl was- at her name tag indiscreetly. "Sierra…" She said, blandly.

Sierra grinned again, her big obsidian eyes nearly boring into Courtney's soul. The brunette could almost have sworn that Sierra's smile was oddly sinister, but it was too big to tell. Sierra's gaze shifted to Trent, and it nearly threw the musician off balance due to how intense her eyes were. He felt quite uncomfortable. The violet haired girl quickly pulled a digital camera out of nowhere and snapped a picture of the unsuspecting duo, catching them off guard.

Trent blinked his eyes to try and get rid of the stars that plagued his vision, and Courtney rubbed hers with the back of her hands to reach the same goal.

"Sierra, what the heck!" The brunette exclaimed, scowling.

Sierra smiled maliciously, before biting her lip to tone down her smile. "Oh, uh… We take pictures of all our best customers for an end of the month bulletin." The girl replied, coolly.

Courtney's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "But you didn't take a picture of the couple in front of us-"

"Ha, so, table for two, right?" Sierra cut in, making Courtney scowl. The haughty brunette _hated_ being interrupted.

"No, actually… Table for four, our friends should be arriving soon." Trent replied, resting a calming hand on the small of Courtney's back; she instantly leaned into his touch and relaxed a bit.

"Coolio! Right this way!" Sierra chirped, grinning again.

The tall girl led Trent and Courtney towards the back of the restaurant, and the décor was oddly comforting. The walls were a deep red colour, and were covered in many contemporary paintings, which were encased in large wooden picture frames. The lights were dimmed, and the floors were a glossy mahogany hardwood. The eccentric hostess finally stopped in front of a red leather seated booth, capable of sitting up to six people, and grinned as she placed a few menus on the table. Courtney and Trent slid into one side of the booth after hanging their coasts up on the hook located on the pillar beside them.

"Eat well, guys!" Sierra chirped, smiling again. The duo noted that her smile, once again looked oddly sinister, but they didn't pay much attention to it.

Trent shrugged, before picking up the menu and starting to flip through it. Courtney disinterestedly did the same. Trent's green eyes scanned every item, searching for one that struck his fancy.

"Hey guys! What's shakin'? Oh, speaking of shaking, have you ever rollerbladed down a hill in a _hailstorm? _Crazy stuff!" Courtney and Trent looked up and met the wild green eyes of their waitress. She had fiery red hair, and it fell past her shoulders in curls. Her lips were curled up in a crazy grin, one that rivaled Sierra's in diameter, and strangely enough, the tie that came with her uniform was tied around her head as if it were a hair accessory instead of around her neck.

"Heh, my name's Izzy, as you can obviously tell by my name tag, but I'm obligated to repeat it anyway, which is pretty redundant if you ask me…" The waitress stated, with a head nod. Courtney raised an eyebrow, and Trent pursed his lips.

"So, do you guys need any drinks?"

"Uh, I'll have just some water with lemon please." Courtney murmured.

"Diet coke for me, please." Trent said.

Izzy's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "_Diet _coke?" She exclaimed, nearly alerting half of the restaurant patrons. "Looks like we got ourselves a wet blanket! Anyway, be right back guys!" Izzy grinned, before bounding off towards the kitchen, her red hair bouncing behind her.

Trent and Courtney both stared after her, both with equally weirded out expressions on their faces.

"How many weirdos are employed at this restaurant!" Courtney exclaimed, before sighing and burying her face in her hands. Sierra… Sierra… that name _did _ring a bell, and it wasn't a fond memory. Yet, the brunette couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Everything okay?" Trent asked.

Courtney looked up, and flashed him a small smile. "Yeah."

Trent raised an eyebrow, still not totally convinced, but didn't pursue it any further. "I was thinking of getting the pita platter for an appetizer, want to split it with me?"

"Of course." Courtney smiled. Trent smiled back.

Izzy returned, balancing her tray on her head, with both Courtney and Trent's drinks wobbling precariously atop her wavy locked cranium. Trent and Courtney's eyes widened as Izzy grinned at them maniacally. She grabbed their glasses and slammed them down on the table, the contents swishing around dangerously close to the edge of their container.

"There ya go! Come to any decisions?" The redhead chirped.

"Uh…yeah, to start, could we get the pita platter?" Trent asked.

Izzy pulled a notepad out of her bra, as well as a pen before quickly dotting down their order. "In the reserves, they teach you all sorts of hiding techniques." And with that, she walked away.

Courtney shook her head before checking her phone for the time. It was a quarter to seven, and Bridgette and Geoff still hadn't returned. Where could they be?

Trent's gaze fell upon her, and he bit his lip. Courtney, sensing eyes on her, met his gaze before smiling.

"Second date." She said, trying to break the tension.

Trent's smile widened faintly, before leaning towards her and kissing her forehead. "The second date of many to come," he grinned against the skin.

Courtney blushed, her stomach fluttering. She pushed some strands of chocolate brown hair behind her ear before tilting her chin upwards so their lips would meet. She kissed him softly before taking a sip of her water, giggling at the mildly surprised expression on his face and the smile on his soft lips. She continued to lightly suck on the straw, smirking at him playfully.

The two sat in a comfortable silence, before Izzy bounded back over with their appetizer, grinning her Cheshire grin. She set it down in front of them.

"Enjoy!" She left, walking backwards and cross-eyed, to their never ending confusion.

Courtney and Trent started to eat, their empty stomachs welcoming the delicious food profusely. They chatted idly about trivial things, just enjoying the other's company. One piece of bread remained on the dish, and both Trent and Courtney reached for it at the same time, their fingers brushing. Their eyes met, and Trent quickly withdrew his hand and smiled at her.

"You take it." Trent said.

"But you want it too," Courtney protested, frowning slightly.

"_You_ take it." He insisted.

Courtney eyed Trent stubbornly, taking a tentative few nibbles out of the pita slice. She paused for a moment, before shoving the rest into Trent's lips before the musician had a chance to react. His eyes widened as he chewed the bread, and Courtney giggled. He pressed his lips to the pads of her fingers, before kissing her knuckles and the top of her hand.

"I wish we could do stuff like this more often…" He said, frowning slightly.

Courtney's onyx eyes came back into focus as she was lulled out of the sensation of his lips, and she frowned as well. "Me too…"

When Izzy came back, they both ordered entrée meals, and continued to nonchalantly chat and steal quick kisses from one another, enjoying their time together.

"Ugh, where are they?" Courtney wondered aloud, starting to feel a bit worried for Bridgette's wellbeing.

Trent also felt concern for his friend.

A few more minutes passed, before a devilish idea formed in Courtney's mind. Trent, noticing the evil glint in his girlfriend's eyes bit his lip, raising an eyebrow.

He followed her gaze, before two sets of disheveled blonde hair came into view. Geoff and Bridgette, both with rosy cheeks and flushed faces finally made their way over, sliding into the booth opposite to Trent and Courtney.

"Sorry we're late guys, we um… Got a little distracted." Bridgette said, smiling bashfully.

"Oh, we totally get it." Courtney said, her voice oozing sarcasm. She smirked, resting her hand on top of Trent's and brushing her thumb over his knuckles absentmindedly, before turning and whispering into his ear.

"Follow my lead."

The brunette quickly flashed Geoff and the topsy-turvy Bridgette a smile. "I have to go to the washroom, excuse me."

She got up, and sent Trent a look over her shoulder.

Trent, getting the hint, quickly slid out of the booth. "I'll escort you."

Courtney smiled at him, before her smile turned slightly sly as she took at Bridgette.

"Bridgette, your sweat shirt is on backwards." The brunette remarked.

Bridgette's olive green eyes widened as she quickly looked down, before her already flushed face turned even redder. Geoff also paled a bit, before Courtney grabbed Trent's hand and tugged him down the hall and back towards the entrance of the restaurant.

Geoff and Bridgette stared after them, and Geoff winced as he watched them go down the opposite hallway than the one that led towards the bathrooms.

"They're… not coming back, are they…" He said, shoulders deflating.

Bridgette's brow furrowed, before Izzy bounded over to them and slapped down the bill, grinning like the mad-hatter. She paused for a moment, sizing them up.

"Huh… is it just me, or did you two get blonder…" The redhead pondered, tapping her chin thoughtfully. Geoff and Bridgette deadpanned at her, before Izzy shrugged and bounded off. "Oh well! B-R-B, guys!"

"Those dirty little…" Geoff growled, scowling at the empty seats in front of him, Trent and Courtney's plates having been cleared by the wacky waitress. "Man, and I didn't even get to have dessert." The blond pouted, crossing his arms over his chest childishly.

Bridgette sighed. She guessed this was karma's doing, and simply accepted the facts and pulled out her wallet. "Oh stop being such a baby and pull out your wallet," she said with an eye roll. Geoff reluctantly did as he was told, pouting the whole time.

Bridgette rolled her eyes, before smirking. "Besides… you already had your fair share of, um… _dessert _in the car…" She murmured.

Geoff perked up at those words, grinning idiotically before he slowly leaned towards Bridgette, his lips coasting over the skin behind her ear and his warm breath ticking her neck. "Can I have seconds…?" He grumbled, his lips brushing against her ear. Bridgette's eyes widened and she shuddered, gnawing on her bottom lip to keep from moaning. Oh, she was so weak.

"Y-yes," she sputtered out quietly. Geoff smirked against her ear, before his lips slowing coasted down her jaw and up to her lips. Bridgette's eyes fluttered closed for a few seconds before she sensed eyes upon her. She broke the kiss and flushed embarrassedly as Izzy grinned at her and Geoff.

"Oh, don't mind me! Pretend I'm not even here… Except I will be." She proclaimed.

Geoff and Bridgette shared equally disturbed expression, and quickly scurried out of the restaurant.

"Okay, that was… Yeah." Bridgette said.

Geoff nodded mutely.

As the duo reached the exit, they saw Courtney and Trent sitting in the waiting area smirking at them. The blondes scowled and marched up to them, only making Courtney and Trent's smirks widen.

"You _douchebag._" Geoff glared at Trent.

"Yeah. Not cool." Bridgette added, sending Courtney a look.

"Oh don't even. Instead of making us wait around for you for an hour and a half, you should've just told us if you wanted some alone time." Courtney retorted.

"Yeah, we would've understood." Trent added, smiling.

Geoff and Bridgette shared a glance, before smiling weakly at them.

"Thanks, guys." Bridgette said.

"Now you two go on ahead, we'll catch up to you in a second." Courtney smiled. The pair of blondes nodded, before walking out of the restaurant and back into the mall.

Trent stretched out his arms, before standing up and smiling down at Courtney. She returned the smile as he stuck out his hand for her to take. She placed her palm in his and he pulled her to her feet. Hand in hand, the two started to head out.

"WAIT!"

Just as Courtney and Trent reached the doorway, Sierra called back. The two turned to face her exasperatedly. The violent haired hostess pointed upwards, a large ominous grin on her face. Courtney and Trent's eyes panned upwards, and the two flushed slightly at the mistletoe that dangled over their heads. Courtney squinted at it for a moment.

"Hey, was that there before?" She wondered aloud.

"Psh, of course! Now, on with the smoochy-smoochy!" Sierra encouraged, her hand poised on her digital camera.

Courtney blinked, feeling rather awkward to kiss on command. Trent sensing her hesitance wrapped his arms around her waist and sent her a comforting smile. Courtney smiled back as Trent closed the distance between their lips, kissing her gently. Courtney responded as her eyes fluttered closed, smiling into the kiss.

Sierra's maniac like grin widened as she took multiple pictures, before shoving her camera into her pocket before the two noticed.

Courtney broke the kiss, resting her forehead against his and smiling blissfully; Trent doing the same. They just held each other for a while, because they might not see each other until the New Year. The two secret lovers departed, Trent with his arm draped over Courtney's waist protectively, and as their figures got lost among the sea of Christmas shoppers, Sierra smirked deviously.

These would make a nice front-page story on her school newspaper indeed…

She pulled out her cell phone, dialing a specific number and waiting for an answer.

"_Hello?_" drawled a nasally, disinterested voice.

"Noah! I've got the culprit, with tons of evidence now…! Can I make the newspaper yet?" Sierra pleaded.

"_No! For the fourteenth time, you wait until the boss gives you the signal!_" Noah stressed.

Sierra pouted. "But I want to…!" She whined.

"_NO._"

Sierra's pout deepened.

"_And no blogging it, either!_"

"Ugh! You might as well put an arrow through my _chest!_" The violet haired girl said, melodramatically.

"_Don't tempt me._" Noah deadpanned, a slightly joking air in his tone of voice, before he hung up.

Sierra blew out a breath, her lips poised in a pout, before she pursed her lips together.

Sneaking around and lying felt weird, she'd much rather chatter around about gossip.

But this wasn't _about _her.

Sierra valued family above all, and nothing would stand in the way of their happiness, if she could help it.

And she intended on helping no matter what.

* * *

I don't even know where I was going with this ending…. AAAGHGHGHHG… but it's part of one of the multiple story arcs in this fic. The story arcs that are ALL OVER THE FREAKING PLACE BECAUSE I'M AN IDIOT AND INCLUDED SO MANY SUBPLOTS. AAAAAAHHHHH Christmas time makes me stressed.

And now that Alexex is done flipping her shit, she'd like to say a very special HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO **TrueJackVP408! **Dude, I promised you a birthday gift and you got one, even though it's a day late. (Shhhhhhhhh!)

I love that girl to death. :)

As well as I love all you reviewers! It'd really mean a lot if you'd review! It would be a great early Christmas gift if I got around 10 reviews for this chapter. Hell, it might even motivate me to try and chug out another chapter for this by the time I finish Christmas holidays. But that also depends on how well I fare with my other stories that also need to be desperately updated… :/

Thanks for reading! If I don't see you 'til then, have a Merry Christmas!

~Alexex :)


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